Cotton Candy Kisses
by Dimunda
Summary: While distracted, a drone suddenly disarms Kolyat. He looks back to see the drone came from a human female. Afterwards, he is plagued constantly of thoughts of her. Bailey warns Kolyat of the woman's complicated personality. The further he digs, the deeper he falls for her, and the worst things get especially as he learns his father had a relationship with the woman in the past.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** What if things worked out differently for Kolyat on the Citadel? As Kolyat is distracted by Commander Shepard, a drone suddenly appears and disarms him. When Kolyat's eyes see that the drone was sent by a human female, he is suddenly is plagued with thoughts of nothing but the young woman. While working at C-Sec for Captain Bailey, he finds that he is close with the woman. He then begins to seek out information despite Bailey's warnings that the woman is complicated. The further he digs for information, the deeper he falls for her, and the more disturbing that facts become. Ignoring advice to stop, he stumbles upon information that reveals that the woman had a relationship with his father in the past. How will this sudden revelation effect Kolyat?

Follows the story of Kolyat Krios from Citadel to the Reaper War if things happened a bit differently for him. Kolyat/OC. Faint hints at F!Shepard/Garrus

* * *

This was it. The defining moment that would change his life forever. Was he really sure he should do this? Could he even do this? Yes. The information he gained while on the Citadel opened his eyes. There was still anger, yes, but he decided to take a chance with the path that he was following. The same path his father took. The one that left their family to crack and fall apart.

"It's been wonderful talking with you all! Hope to see you on election day!"

Dark eyes shot up as he saw a barefaced turian walk away from a group of other aliens, a krogan stomping beside him. Blood Pack. Nice choice in bodyguards, he'd give him that. Dark eyes closed momentarily as he pressed his fingers to the sides of his head. Okay, he thought. It's now or never.

Emerging from the shadows, Kolyat began walking quickly towards his target. He managed to pull his gun out as he got closer and closer before he could fire. A human crossed his path suddenly and he shoved him out of the way. Apparently the human caught sight of his gun because he soon screamed in panic. There's the shot. He had the shot. All he had to do was-

"KOLYAT!"

The drell turned around, trying to find the source of the voice. No one knew him here. There was no reason for them to! He turned back to his target, seeing that the sudden outburst had caught the turian and krogan's attention. Everything felt as though it were moving in slow motion as the drell raised his gun.

 _ZZZAP!_

Kolyat drew back his hand quickly, his gun falling to the floor. What just happened? Voices were raised as a woman in full body armor demanded the krogan to stand down. The drell looked and saw a bright light catch his eyes. A spherical drone floated before him, emitting a red glow from the light its body emitted. The drone floated closer to the drell, who drew back quickly. What the hell was going on?

" _Target disarmed,_ " came a feminine voice, a bit higher than he had expected.

The drone's color changed to a bright pink before it flew over Kolyat's head. The drell followed the drone closely and saw that it had floated to a woman hidden in the darkness. Kolyat tried with difficulty to see the woman's features, not bothering to listen to the chaos that was happening around him.

The light the drone emitted was enough for the young drell to see distinct features on the woman. She was human, that much was clear. Her clothing was more revealing than he was used to. A leather, sleeveless jacket hung from her shoulders along with a strip of clothing that covered her breasts and nothing more. Tattoos dawned on what he could see, though the drell could not make out what they were of.

When his eyes flew back up, wanting to see who had sent the drone to attack him, what he saw proved his suspicions. He certainly never met this human before. Surely he would have remembered her hair, cut extremely short with the sides shaved. The color mixed between a bright blue and pink, blended together perfectly with the style of her hair. Eyes shone a bright, lime green color, the color enhanced from the drone's light.

Kolyat was snapped from his thoughts as he saw the woman's eyes narrowed while she stared him down. Her hand was at her Omni-tool, making the drell wonder when she had brought it out. Her drone disappeared and she turned her back, putting a strap from a bag over her shoulders before walking away.

There was no time to call out to her, to demand that she stop and tell him why she interfered. The sound of his name behind called out by a deep voice that he immediately recognized.

The drell shook his head as he snapped it back up, looking behind him. A wave of emotions flooded over him: shock, anger, fear, hate. There in front of him stood his father, the man he had not seen in years. The man that abandoned his family, even after his son's mother was murdered. Flashing lights caught the younger drell's attention and he saw that C-Sec had just arrived to contain the situation.

"Kolyat."

The drell's eyes shot up to his father's, noticing the look on his face seemed to overflow with emotions.

"This, this is a joke. Now? Now you show up?!"

Kolyat found it hard to concentrate on those speaking towards him. His mind felt as though the woman's image was burned into his brain. There was another problem that was bothering him: why did the human interfere? Never before had he seen the woman. Drell memory was practically perfect. Also the way she looked and dressed probably would have caught his eye. There was no way he would have forgotten someone like her.

"Kolyat, I've taken many bad things out of the world," he heard his father say. "You're the only good thing I ever added to it."

There was a sudden feel of moisture on his cheek. He hadn't even realized the tears formed, never less were falling from his eyes. Concentrating on his father, he faintly heard voices and faint mentions of C-Sec headquarters. His body was then led off, noticing that his father was the one guiding him. Kolyat's dark eyes looked up, noticing the uniforms of the officers.

A woman was talking to the captain, clearly not an officer. With her armor and multiple weapons hooked on her back, she easily stood out. Her red hair reminded the young drell of a dark fire. He could have sworn someone addressed her as "Shepard," a name that he had heard before.

No. This woman wasn't important at the moment. The fact was that he and his father were going to be given privacy to talk. There was a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach at the thought. This was not how he expected this all to happen.

* * *

 _Minutes previously…._

It would have been a lie if she told herself that allowing the anti-human turian to be shot and killed. It would be easy to just walk away and let things take their course. However, she knew that preventing it was the best course of action. Elias would no doubt find out of her interference, but she honestly didn't give a fuck. It was easy to handle Kelham. Well, it was easy for _her_ anyway.

Could this drell be any more obvious, she thought as her eyes remained entirely focused on her target. The worst part was that he was painfully obvious in that he didn't know what he was doing. That was one of the reasons she was here to stop him. Stupid kid had no idea what he was getting himself into, had no idea how to go about it, and just had no idea whatsoever on how to do something dangerous like this. Stupid, stupid drell. To think that he was related to-

"Ms. Lynn."

The woman returned from the privacy of her thoughts, her Omni-tool flashing. Delicate, quick fingers flew across the keyboard as a screen pulled up.

"Yes, Xeena?" the woman replied, trying as best as she could to keep her voice down. It was imperative that she was not noticed. Hiding in the shadows wasn't the greatest spot to hide, especially since her drone's light flashed on her Omni-tool.

"I have managed to access Citadel Security cameras as you have requested," came the response. "Your calculations were correct. The person that you inquired I specifically look for has been captured on surveillance. Shall I pull the footage so that you may verify?"

"Yes. I want to see for myself. I need to know if Mouse was right."

Multiple pieces of security footage appeared on her Omni-tool, lime green eyes darting through them quickly. Her hand moved over and selected the first footage that immediately caught her eyes. The footage was of the security checkpoint where she saw three people, though only one of them was whom she sought. A drell, a human, and a turian were waiting for the checkpoint officer to let them through. Surprised he's working with a group, her thoughts rang in her head.

"Xeena," Lynn said as she watched them, eyeing the drell keenly. "Can you give me audio? I want to know what took them so long to get through."

"No, Ms. Lynn, I am unable to access audio at this time. I am able to access the officer's report, if you would like to see it," the drone said softly.

"Do it."

It took a few seconds until the drone brought the report on screen. "It seems as though the human is Commander Jane Shepard. Scanning informed the officer at hand she was dead. The Commander mentioned being MIA instead."

Lynn's focus returned as she watched another footage, seeing the drell speak. The sound of her heart beating could be heard in her ears as she watched him through the data. The group had left Bailey and, as she suspected, went to Mouse. From what she could see, Mouse was surprised to see the drell. So was I, Mouse, she thought, so was I.

The next time they appeared on surveillance was at C-Sec headquarters, talking to the Captain once more. It took a few minutes until Lynn saw Elias Kelham being dragged in. The woman couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face. Serves you right, was the first thought that came into her mind. The woman skipped through the footage until Xeena suddenly began flashing and beeping.

"Now pulling up live feed footage of subjects."

Lynn watched as Commander Shepard spoke with the drell, both looking around. It seemed as though they were formulating a plan. After she saw the Commander leave, her eyes returned to focus on the drell. She saw him clasp his hands together, knowing instantly that he would be praying. Even without reading his lips she knew what he was saying.

"Amonkira. Lord of Hunters. Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet swift. And should the worst come to pass, grant me forgiveness," she said flawlessly, watching him right until he managed to vanish before her. "It really is you. I knew I was right."

* * *

 _C-Sec Headquarters_

"…I think offering him to work for you would benefit, Bailey," Shepard said with a smile towards the captain. "He seems to want to make a difference. I think he'll be great help."

Bailey nodded his head as he rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly had nothing to say as Lynn walked over.

"Lynn?" Bailey asked as he stood up, patting the blue and pink haired woman's shoulder. "What are you- Wait. Shepard, you said a drone forced the boy to drop his weapon, right?"

Shepard raised a brow as she nodded her head, her arms crossed firmly over her N7 chest plate.

"Yeah, I did. After calling out to Kolyat, I managed to see a drone, what, zap him? Shock him? Whatever it did, I guess it scared him enough to drop his gun."

Bailey looked back to Lynn, the woman giving him a blank look before raising an eyebrow.

"That was you, wasn't it?" Bailey asked, though it was clearly a statement rather than a question.

Lynn nodded her head slowly as she glanced to Shepard before looking off towards the back a split second later. Shepard noticed this and wondered what exactly she was looking for. Better yet, why did this woman stop Kolyat in the first place? It was possible it was just some random act of kindness. Still, thing that bothered the Commander was that this woman seemed to know where to be and when. How exactly did she acquire that information?

"Why?" Bailey asked, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at the girl. "I mean, you never really care about C-Sec matters. Was this another one of your exceptions?"

The Captain was unable to get a response; though he knew it was highly unlikely Lynn would even tell him. The sound of doors opening and closing distracted the three as Thane walked out, moving towards Shepard. Lynn stared at him intently, hearing him speak but had no interest in what he was saying to the Captain.

"Well, since he didn't necessarily shot anyone, I can feel a bit better on making an exception for the kid," Bailey said before jabbing a thumb over to Lynn. "Should thank this one too. She's the one who actually disarmed your son."

Thane looked over to Lynn and the way his eyes widened made her assume that he already recognized her. Even though she had changed drastically over the last 10 years, she knew he realized who she was. Bailey's first thought that the drell was surprised that such a young human managed such an action. She _was_ full of surprises after all, even after all these years.

"Lynn?"

Lynn nodded her head slowly as she stared blankly at the drell, eyes hiding the emotions that swam around her mind. There was just so much going through her head. Was she happy to see him or was she furious with him? Did she thank the gods that she was able to see him one more time or did she curse them for bringing back such a wretched part of her life?

"It has been quite a long time, Thane," she said, surprised she was able to find her voice. "I hope you appreciate the favor I did for you."

Thane stared at her and she could see the conflicting emotions on his face as well, which was certainly not what he would have done a decade ago. What could be running through his mind right now? The way he abandoned her? The way he used her? She had no idea.

"Thane, you know this woman?" Shepard's voice cut in after several moments of silence.

The drell's mouth felt dry and he feared he could not give his commander a proper answer. So, he nodded his head instead.

"When I was active on the Citadel all those years ago," Thane said, licking his dry lips so he could properly speak. His eyes suddenly went wide and began to dart around quickly. " _"Please, Krios!" she begs. "Please take me with you!" I look and see her face stained with tears, eyes mixed with fear and sadness. I tell her no and begin to walk off. I don't get far when I feel her small hands on my arm, pulling me back with such desperation. "Krios, please!" The desperation gets worse in her voice. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me here alone!" I say nothing, the silence allowing me to hear her choking on her sobs. "You're all that I have! Don't leave me behind!" I manage to pull away and walk off. I know she does not follow me, though I hear her cries and pleas until I can no more."_

Lynn stared at Thane as though she expected something like this to happen. Though she did not have the memory of a drell, she would never forget that day. Seeing him now, it was hard to determine what she should feel towards him. Perhaps forgiveness was in order. After all, things got a bit better after he left. Sort of.

Lynn turned her attention to Bailey, who seemed stunned by the older drell's sudden outburst. She didn't care if he found out. Bailey knew so much about her, more than her parents did. Knowing a little more didn't bother her in the slightest.

"I'm heading back to my dad's shop. Come by the Drunken Varren tomorrow night during my shift and I'll get you some drinks. On the house."

"Lynn, wait."

Now it was her turn to hear the desperation in the drell's voice. She was surprised, honestly. She hadn't expected him to sound like that. The drell she remembered didn't let much emotion seep through his voice. There was a painful ache in her chest, knowing that if she continued to stay she would break. Instead of turning around, she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

"Kalahira, Mistress of Inscrutable Depths, I ask forgiveness. Kalahira, wash away the sins of my wrath and envy that have troubled this soul for so long. Guide me to forgiveness, Kalahira, so that I may be at peace once more. Guide me so that I may be set on the shores of the infinite spirit. Guide me, Kalahira, so that I may remember the love I have been bestowed."

* * *

 _Two weeks later…._

On Shepard's advice, Bailey decided to allow Kolyat to work for him. The Captain tasked the drell with answering calls, organizing information, process arrests/releases, and other jobs around that area. It required much organizing with none of the danger of becoming an officer. Not that the drell wouldn't mind it, but he had to remember to take it slow. This was a blessing compared to being put on trial.

As he became accustomed to his new job over the passing weeks, there was something that he couldn't get out of his mind: the human that stopped him, the one with pink and blue hair. Any free time the drell had, he found himself drifting off to the only memory he had of her. That moment he saw her, barely illuminated from her drone's light, was the only time he crossed her path. The memory was beginning to consume him in a way that worried the drell. He had only caught a glimpse of her. Nothing that left much of a mark on him. So why was he being consumed by it?

The slower the workdays, the more he found himself drifting off. Unfortunately, this was one of those days. The drell tried to busy himself with imputing information on all that had been brought in and released along with their crimes. Merely trying to keep himself distracted, the only sound he heard was of civilians walking by.

"Krios!"

Kolyat jumped at the sudden call of his name, looking around to see Captain Bailey returning to his desk.

"Just got word that my newer recruit is bringing in a tagger. Not much paperwork, but thought you'd like to get a heads up on the work."

Kolyat nodded his head as he began pulling out paperwork. Bailey had explained to him that a tagger was someone who spray-painted pictures on buildings or wherever they saw a canvas. To be arrested for something so idiotic was beyond the drell.

It took a couple minutes, but a turian officer was pulling in a woman. Her hands were behind her back, obviously cuffed.

"Of for Christ's sake! Lynn?! Again?! Damn it. Just sit her down over there. I'll deal with this."

Kolyat looked to see whom the repeat offender that Bailey seemed to know so well. His eyes widened slightly as the familiar colors of blue and pink flowed through a tuft of hair. The officer led her to the wall, where he instructed her to sit. She made a sound that seemed to make the officer angry. However, Bailey was hovering over her moments later, dismissing the officer.

"Lynn, seriously?" Bailey asked, anger strong in his voice. The woman simply smiled and that was his answer. With a heavy sigh, the Captain rubbed his temples. "What was it of this time?"

"Councilors handing off humans to Collectors," the woman said casually. "I figured since they ain't doin' a damn thing to help them, I could send them a message of their generosity."

Kolyat heard Bailey sigh again as the drell managed to look around to see the woman. It was definitely her. Now that he got a better look at her, he looked her over. She had multiple earrings on each ear, one on an eyebrow, tattoos on the sides of her arms, and even one across her chest, things he remember faintly seeing before. He looked at her lower half, seeing shorts covering what needed be with boots going up to her knees. Seemed she dressed for herself. Kolyat's eyes trailed back up and noticed the tattoo on her chest again. When he managed to read it, he was surprised. Not from what the tattoo itself said, but the fact that it was written in drell. **Set this one on the shore of the infinite spirit.** Why in the world would this human have something from drell religion marked on her? Hardly any drells worshipped the old ways nowadays; why in the world would a human?

"-yat. Kolyat!"

The drell returned to reality as Bailey yelled out his name. The woman, whom he hard Bailey call Lynn, was already un-cuffed and standing beside the captain. Her eyes were on locked onto Kolyat's, giving him a knowing smile. It made his mind go blank as he tried to concentrate on what Bailey was telling him, though he found it was more difficult than he could have imagined.

"Now that I've got your attention," Bailey said with a slight narrow of his eyes, though Kolyat knew he wasn't truly mad at him. "Don't worry about doing Ms. Davidson's paperwork. I'll handle that personally."

Kolyat nodded his head slowly, curiosity flowing through his mind. Bailey really never did paperwork personally. The man hated it beyond reason. Always tried some way to squirm himself out of such a chore. There was probably a reason for it.

"Lynn, I really don't want to see you here again," he heard Bailey say. "At least not for a couple weeks. Can you at least do that for me?"

"Whatever. Listen, Bailey, I gotta go," Lynn said as she jabbed her thumb out of the headquarters. "Gal wants me to cover a shift for a coworker. Dude called in sick and he needs me to fill in."

Bailey pinched his eyes together before he began waving her off, clearly frustrated with her attitude.

"Go, just go. You owe me several drinks though!"

The woman seemed to ignore Bailey, her eyes falling onto Kolyat's once more. Perhaps she could feel his eyes had been watching her. He wondered if she was going to say something to him. Probably to stop staring at her like some sort of pervert. Instead, he was confused when the woman blew a kiss to him, winking and then walking out of his sight.

Kolyat just sat there at his desk, watching her retreating form until she was no longer within his sight. It felt as though his heart would burst from his chest at any moment with how hard it was beating. What the hell was going on?

A long whistle returned Kolyat back to reality and to Bailey, whom was smirking from the comfort of his desk. Oh gods. Bailey just saw him. No doubt that he would tease him relentlessly about it.

"Looks like someone's been bitten by the love bug," Bailey said, obviously holding back a laugh. When Kolyat gave him a confused look, he waved it off. "Better watch out for that one, boy. I've known her since she was a spit-fired kid stealing food. She's a feisty one, I'll tell you. Wouldn't hesitate to smash a bottle against your head if you provoke her."

Kolyat stared blankly at Bailey, trying to get a handle on the emotions that were swimming through him. The amount that he felt clashing and mixing together began making him angry.

"She was the one that distracted me." Kolyat had been silent for several minutes and that's what he broke the silence with.

Realization suddenly smacked Bailey across the face. Kolyat knew the person that distracted him from his shot. He was sure he didn't tell the young drell and after his father's reaction to Lynn, it was highly unlikely he informed his son of her.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't get her out of my head. Gods, I've only seen her twice now and it's driving me crazy. Every time I have a moment free to think, I find myself thinking of her. Why the hell is this happening? I don't even know her! Gods, we're not even the same species! I'm some kind of sick pervert with a human fetish!"

Bailey was surprised by this sudden outburst. Sure Kolyat had a temper, but he never heard him speak with such emotion before. It certainly took him by shock, leaving him speechless. By the sound of it, it seemed like the drell was a infatuated with Lynn. Probably just a little crush, surely nothing that would last long for him. Maybe he was confusing it with appreciative to Lynn for preventing the drell from ruining his life. No clue how he'd react to Lynn when he got to know her on a more personal level.

Bailey thought about the two of them as Kolyat continued muttering to himself on how he was going insane. Honestly, he liked the kid. Sure they met on this most awful of terms, but once Kolyat began working for him, he found himself watching over him more and more. It reminded Bailey when he began caring for Lynn in the same way. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to at least _try_ to help the drell. Worst that could happen was Lynn would reject him. Actually, that wasn't the worst scenario that popped into the captain's head, but he pushed aside the worst options from his mind.

"Hey," Bailey called out, gaining Kolyat's attention. "I know Lynn as if she were my own. Maybe I can give you a bit of help. She'll probably knock some sense into you anyway. Could do you both some good."


	2. Chapter 2

Three weeks. She had managed to stay out of trouble for three weeks. New record. Lynn chuckled to herself as she dried a glass, hearing the cloth squeak. Finishing it off and feeling it was up to her standards, she put it back under the counter. A loud groan escaped her throat as she leaned back against a cupboard of several drinks. Sundays were always boring and slow. They used to be better than Mondays before her band began playing. Now Monday was her favorite day of the week and the bar was always packed with people.

"Yo, Rainbow!"

Lynn chuckled as a smirk grazed her lips. Her eyes fell to the corner of the bar where her boss' office was. Asshole always stayed in there. Not that she minded. That meant she was given free range to do what she wanted and that she was in charge. Even though her authority only counted to the other employees that worked under her, it still felt amazing.

A tan turian had his head sticking out of the office, with his black colony markings bringing out the intensity of his steely blue eyes. Several scars from numerous battles were decorated across his face, all worn with pride and each having a story to tell. Stories the turian _loved_ to go into detail about.

"Wha' you want, _Gaaaallius_?" the bartender yelled back, purposely dragging out his name. She had to retaliate against his crude nickname after all. The woman caught the faint huff from the turian and smirked widely. Apparently it worked. Of course it did, she thought to herself. She knew just how to get under his skin. Well, er, plates.

"Go 'head and get outta here," he said as he nodding his head to the exit. "Gonna close 'er up early. Ain't no one coming out to drink."

"Don't know why you haven't gotten smart enough to close this dump on Sundays."

Lynn ducked as a datapad was thrown at her, her laugh heard from the safety of behind the counter. Grabbing the datapad, she made sure it wasn't cracked as she made her way over to the turian.

"You fuck this one up too and I ain't reprogramming another," she said as she moved data around, checking numbers and shifts. "This is the seventh one I've bought for you _and_ had to input your data into. I'm gonna start chargin' you every time this happens if you continue, Gal."

Gallius grumbled something under his breath as he snatched the datapad away from her, his mandible twitching in aggravation. He motioned her to follow as he entered his office, something she already planned on doing.

"Lucky I like keepin' you 'round," Gallius said with a small smirk as he sat down. "Smart mouth like yours would've been given an ass kickin' if it were anybody else's."

Lynn gave him a kissy face, winking as she clicked her tongue at him. Another huff gave from the turian as his eyes rolled.

"So, you need somethin'?" Lynn asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You jus' told me I could get outta here."

Gallius instantly sat up in his chair and nodded his head. It took him a moment before he decided to stand up for this, making sure he conveyed to Lynn that he was about to be serious. A trait both of them despised greatly.

"Yeah, I do actually," the turian said as he turned back, pulling a glass of dark blue liquid. He paused as he poured him a glass and took a shot, ignoring the impatient look Lynn was throwing him. "Don't know if ya noticed, but there's been a young drell poppin' around here more often. Not only me that seen 'im. Other employees mention his frequent visits as well."

A loud cackle had Gallius snapping his head back, glaring at Lynn while she laughed.

"That's what you called me back here for?" she asked incredulously. "You got serious because a drell is giving you business? Gal, I think you're going a bit mental if you think this is real important."

"That ain't why I'm mentionin' it!" the turian retaliated angrily. He took a breath and sighed, remembering to keep himself calm. As much as he loved Lynn, she still managed to get to him. "Look, it's not that he's been comin' here so often that's got me curious. Fact is he only comes in durin' your shifts. No matter what time you comin' or goin', I see him at a table with a drink that's hardly ever touched. Also seen him on Mondays when you guys play. 'Is face is always watching you and only you. Freaks me out a bit, 'specially with those drell eyes. Jus' makin' sure you ain't got some weird stalker watchin' your every move."

Now _that_ actually got her attention. Every now and then she was used to someone hitting on her, but whenever they found out she wasn't interested, they never said a word to her again. Those who pestered her found the consequences to be both unexpected and disconcerting.

"Other employees said he once asked about your shifts," Gallius continued, taking her silence as sign to continue. "So I ain't paranoid. He's specifically comin' durin' _your_ shifts. I even seen 'im come in durin' a usual shift of yours and leave when he found out you'd taken off."

Okay, that actually made her think a little more. She wasn't scared or anything. It only made her think why the drell would be doing such a thing. Then, it clicked. Drell were rare on the Citadel and the only one she had seen lately was the one working for Bailey. The one that she saved from making a complete shit storm of his life. The job she did as a favor to _him_.

Gallius arched a brow when she broke her silence with a chuckle. That wasn't the response he predicted, but with Lynn it didn't surprise him all that much.

"I think I know what it's all about," she said, shaking her head as she chuckled once more. "Bailey's got some drell workin' for 'im. 'Member the kid I told you I stopped from being an idiot? That was 'im. I saw 'im when one of Bailey's officers brought me in a few weeks ago. I'm willing to wager Bailey told the guy to keep an eye on me. Ya know? Make sure I don't get in trouble or nothin'. At least not for a while."

Gallius seemed to relax a bit, though it was always difficult to tell with turians. He began shaking his head as he clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.

"Better get home then before you cause me any trouble," he said before smirking, mandibles twitching slightly from his amusement. That was more like her Gallius.

Lynn gave him a unsavory gesture with her hand as she left his office, laughing once she was out of it.

"See ya tomorrow, Gal. I'll make sure to keep outta trouble. Least for the rest of the week."

* * *

 _The next night…_

It never ceased to amaze him how crowded the Drunken Varren got on Monday nights. Obviously the band drew in an impressive crowd and probably would continue to do so in the future. Still, Kolyat always found it hard to find a decent spot to see the band members whenever they played. People were dancing, drinking, or gawking at the three members of Pierced Tongue. The name was a bit weird and had no idea why the group thought it was a good one, but he supposed it had started to grow on him.

Whenever Bailey told him that Lynn worked at the Drunken Varren, he always tried to make time to visit. Then Bailey told him that Lynn played in a band every Monday night and he made sure to never miss a show.

The last few weeks had been frustrating and amazing for the young drell. Every time he saw the woman, he got weak and felt completely different. One time Kolyat mentioned to Bailey that he liked how her hair was colored, Bailey laughed and told him that it was apparently called a cotton candy look. Of course, not knowing what cotton candy was, the drell looked it up out of curiosity. After discovering that it was an Earthly confection, it wasn't long before the drell started imagining Lynn as such.

Despite Bailey offering his assistance with Lynn, he hadn't been that much help. Kolyat asked him all sorts of questions and Bailey never really answered any of was always dancing around them, never giving the drell a proper response. That made Kolyat snap at Bailey frequently, saying he didn't know as much about the woman as he let on. Bailey laughed at him and told him that it would be best if the drell gained the knowledge on his own if he doubted him so much.

An asari's loud shriek of excitement snapped Kolyat from his thoughts. He rubbed the side of his head and glared at the asari responsible for the assault against his hearing. Taking a look at his surrounds, Kolyat found he had somehow gotten closer to the stage and could see the band.

Once the music began to play, Kolyat looked at each member. On the guitar was a royal blue asari named Vis'notia T'velyt. She was always bouncing around, looking euphoric simply from playing the instrument in her hands.

Next was a grey turian with red colony markings and green eyes that showed the passion for his drums. His name was Numeus Taniculus and from what he heard from fans of the band, he and Vis were bond mates. That didn't stop fans from all species and gender from flirting with them.

Finally, his eyes fell onto the woman whom his attention was really devoted to. Lynn was throwing her head around as she sang. Kolyat could see just how much singing was a part of her as she threw her body around, moving to the beat of her band.

Almost immediately once his eyes fell on Lynn, he couldn't pry them away if his life depended on it. Even though the band played their music loudly, the drell could not hear it as he stared at the human. Today she was wearing a sleeveless black shirt that hung loosely under her breasts, flowing with the singer's movements. Over the weeks Kolyat discovered that Lynn was not ashamed of her body and flaunted it every chance she got. Bailey told him that Lynn once assured him that she did so because she loved her body and wanted to always be comfortable in it.

Eyes slowly drifting further down her body, Kolyat saw a few scars that decorated her beautiful skin. To him, they made her body look even more wonderful. Her hips swayed from side to side in her baggy pants, just loose enough to give him a more proper view of those hypnotic hips.

Kolyat felt an involuntary shudder escape from his body as he began looking back. His body suddenly tensed when he saw that a pair of lime green eyes were looking directly into his own. Ruby red lips curled into a knowing smirk as Lynn looked to Kolyat. That must have been the first time they had ever made eye contact since she had been at the station. If his heart tightened any more, the drell swore it was going to explode and kill him right there on the dance floor.

Snapping out of his trance, he began to actually listen to the song that the band was playing. He hadn't heard the name of the song, but it was something that apparently made everyone around them toss their bodies roughly and swing their heads to the rhythm. Behind him he heard a man telling someone that the song was their most popular cover and always gave people a feeling of expression.

Kolyat looked back to the band and began to actually listen to the lyrics of their song.

"….But when we're at our worst, I miss the misery," Lynn's voice thundered before becoming a tad softer for the next lyrics. "I miss the bad things, the way you hate me, I miss the screaming, the way that you blame me…"1

Again Kolyat was surprised as Lynn looked directly at him, her band playing until it was time to sing again. When the beat began to pick up, she winked at the drell before tossing her head around.

"I miss the rough sex, leaves me a mess! I miss the feeling of pains in my chest!"

No. Certainly he hadn't imagined that, did he? His mind must have been playing tricks on him. If he hadn't imagined it, though, it didn't necessarily mean anything. She could have just thought he was a fan and gave him a little fan service. Still. Her actions had his body searing with heat.

"I don't miss you, I miss the misery!"

The song ended and the crowd clapped as the members of Pierced Tongue took a bow. Kolyat watched as Lynn breathed in and out heavily as sweat fell from her face. Even he could see the effect that performing on stage had for the human. Despite not studying humans for very long, it didn't take a genius to see how much she loved it.

A small crowd had gathered around them, fans of all species talking to each member. Several asked for advice while others asked what other types of music the band would be playing.

"I like to dabble mainly on music from Earth that ranges from the late 20th century to the early 21st century," Lynn's voice said above the noise of chattering fans. "Music seemed to be way better then from what I hear now on my home world. Bunch of techno garbage, if you ask me."

Kolyat was growing impatient, feeling as though the endless questions were never going to end. While it felt almost like an eternity, Kolyat found that the fans had only been talking for 15 minutes. Sure, he realized it was crazy to be upset that these aliens were ogling members of a band they liked, but he wasn't thinking all too rationally.

"Yo. Hello? Helloooooo?"

Dark eyes blinked in confusion, hearing familiar voice drag him from his thoughts. If drell could blush, Kolyat felt that his embarrassment would be obvious. There in front of him stood Lynn, a wide smile spread across her face while a hand was placed strategically on a hip.

"You gonna talk to me or just spend several more weeks just watching me?"

There was that playful tone again. It was obviously sarcasm and typically he would have been angry while snapping back with commentary of his own However, now that he was in front of her and she was actually _talking_ to him, the drell found himself frozen.

Although he wasn't paying much attention, he heard voices bid soft farewells to the human before him. Soon enough, the awkward feeling in his stomach multiplied once they were left alone.

"Look, I know who you are."

Kolyat just nodded his head slowly, feeling the urge to lick his dry mouth. He must have looked ridiculous, standing in front of the human with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

"Kid? Ugh. Look, if you're here to thank me or whatever, don't mention it. Glad you didn't end up doing something stupid that would have completely ruined your life."

"Why did you stop me?"

Lime green eyes filled with surprise when the drell decided to speak, though they were filled with curiosity and some other look he could only define as cocky.

"Why? I 'unno why. I was there? You didn't know what you were doing? Gods, that was painfully obvious. It was clear that you were just a fuck up waitin' to happen. Pick any of those reasons and you have an answer."

There was the anger he had been waiting for. Despite feeling insane whenever he was near Lynn, that didn't stop him from being his typical self. His typical self included being an extremely temperamental drell.

"I'm not that stupid," he snapped back, obviously having surprised her. "I know you know my father. There was no way it was a coincidence! Just tell me, won't-"

Kolyat stopped as he shook his head, putting his face in one of his hands for a moment. Why was she making him so frustrated suddenly? No. This wasn't why he was here. Take a breath and just calm down. Think this through before you ruin it, he told himself.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, his pride wounded by the apology. "That wasn't why I came. I really…I mean, I want to take you to dinner!"

There was that feeling of embarrassment. It returned right on cue, along with anger as he heard Lynn laugh quietly. She was shaking her head, holding out one of her hands. Gazing at it closely, he saw her hands were far from delicate. They were tough, showing that this woman worked herself hard. This wasn't some gentle flower in front of him. To him, she was a strong and sturdy tree that possibly survived numerous storms.

"Look, I'm sorry. I can see you're thankful and all, but I really don't think a date is a good idea. No offense, but you don't seem to be my type."

"Then what is your type?"

Hearing it out loud, his voice sounded _way_ more pathetic than he initially thought. The cracking of his voice didn't help. So far this was not going as well as he had hoped.

"I'm real sorry, but I just don't think it'd be a good idea," she said, dropping her mischievous tone in an attempt to spare his feelings. That's what Kolyat thought anyway.

His mind moved a mile a minute as the drell tried to think of what he should say next. Not only had he never been in a situation such as this, but also this was a human he was dealing with. Nothing quite like the drell women he also failed at courting with.

"Look, Krios, I gotta go. I'm opening my dad's shop and I'm barely getting enough sleep as is."

Movement caught his eyes as Lynn walked past him, guitar strapped on her back. He heard another deeper voice give out a last call, but paid him no mind as he rushed to Lynn.

"Wait, can't we at least-"

Lynn suddenly came to a sudden stop as she turned back, a look so serious on her face that the drell had to resist the urge to gulp.

"Drop it," she said, growling lowly as she narrowed her eyes at him. Those eyes made him weak in the knees, even when she was throwing him impatient daggers. "Leave me be. Tell Bailey that if he talks about me again behind my back, I'll cut his balls off myself."

Not able to consider a proper response in time gave Lynn the opportunity to walk off. Before he caught up with the actions around him, she had disappeared from his sight. Bailey was right: this woman was complicated. That didn't diminish his want for her though. He just had to approach this in a different way. Deep down in his gut, he knew he had to convince her.

* * *

 _The next day…_

"Kid, give it up. I'm tellin' you, you're just wasting your time!"

Once again, Bailey decided to give his…what was that human expression he heard? Give his cents? Whatever it was, Bailey decided to keep giving Kolyat advice on Lynn generously. Advice Kolyat was starting to ignore at this point. This was mainly due to the advice being given was on how _not_ to pursue Lynn. Wasn't Bailey on his side at the beginning of all this?

Kolyat waved a hand at his captain as he continued staring at the screen of his Omni-tool. His eyes were focused on an extranet page that he found that pertained to human courting customs. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find a page that made sense and didn't just recommend offers of flowers, candy, stuffed animals, or even liquor. Besides the liquor, Kolyat found the other suggestions merely laughable. Even from what little he gathered on Lynn, he figured she wasn't the type of female to go for such things.

"Krios? Kolyat, are you even listening to me anymore?!"

The increased aggravation in Bailey's voice had Kolyat pry his eyes from his Omni-tool. The captain was once again pinching the bridge of his nose, letting out several noises of what he guessed were irritation.

"I'm sorry, what? Can you repeat that for me, Captain?"

Bailey leaned back in his seat with an overly dramatic act of frustration, his arms falling limp at his side.

"This is really startin' to bug me, kid," Bailey said, running his hand over his face. "If you want to be further rejected by Lynn, be my guest. Maybe she'll set you straight and you'll actually get some damn work done!"

"Yeah, hey, Lynn mentioned she had to work at her father's store," Kolyat said as he continued shifting through his Omni-tool, trying to find anything else on human courting rituals. "You know where that is? Or what the store's called?"

Clearly this drell was idiotic and wasn't going to take his advice on avoiding Lynn any longer. All the kid was going to do was push this until Lynn shattered his heart in her hands. Fine. If that's how he wanted to do this, then he might as well steer it on a faster path.

"Yeah," Bailey said, sighing in defeat. "Her dad's name is Yessin'Veram. Runs an electronic and tech store down in the Wards. I think the name of the place has his name in it or something. If not, trust me. You can't miss him. Stands out almost as much as his daughter. Her mom is Irryny T'kani. She works with a Dr. Michel at a small clinic nearby their store. You're gonna ask anyway. Might as well tell you now."

Kolyat nodded his head and seemed to gather up anything he found to be useful for the task ahead. Bailey snickered at the many ideas his mind came up with on what the drell possibly found. Hopefully it was something that was going to be incredibly embarrassing for him. Teach him a lesson in all this in the end.

"Going on my lunch, Captain," Kolyat said as he began to move quickly, hurrying off to the elevators as quickly as he could. "Be back soon."

"Give my regards!" Bailey said with a smirk as he gave a mock wave to the drell. The only thing that began running through the captain's mind was what the poor bastard was getting himself into.

* * *

1 song is "I Miss the Misery" by Halestorm


	3. Chapter 3

Even after being on the Citadel for several weeks, Kolyat still found himself learning something new just about every other day. The shops, the people, the way things worked. Everything was different. It was incredibly different from Kahje. He forgot that other worlds didn't rain as much as it did on Kahje. Not that the Citadel really experienced weather or anything, it was still a huge transition from pouring rains to no real weather at all.

As much as he liked discovering new things on the Citadel, what he found wasn't what he was looking for. There were a few electronic stores around the area, but none that he figured Lynn would be in. Well, none that he thought Lynn's father owned. From what Bailey said about Lynn's father, he gathered the human looked just like his daughter. Either that or they had the same attitude.

With how unique Lynn seemed to be, her father must have been unique as well. Maybe even more so. Then again he didn't know what to think about most humans yet. How was he supposed to go about trying to court Lynn? She seemed hesitant at first, though that wasn't going to discourage the drell. They didn't really know much about each other. Hell, she seemed to know a bit more about him than he knew of her.

The realization that his father had something with Lynn in the past angered him immensely at first. It was difficult to ask his father the true nature of their relationship, what with him going around the galaxy with Commander Shepard. He made a mental note to himself to bring it up the next time his father tried to video chat with him.

It still felt weird having his father back in his life and making an effort. There was still so much anger and hatred towards his father, but he knew deep down he wanted a relationship with his father. Not just because he was slowly dying, but because he remembered how much he loved his father as a kid.

Kolyat looked around at the stores and soon felt he would drag Bailey to help him find the electronics store. As he approached a corner, he saw various electronic devices through the window. When he looked up, a small smile grazed his lips. Above the entrance was a sign that read "Yessin's Electronics & Technical Support." This was the place!

When the drell made his way into the store, he noticed how quiet it seemed as compared to other stores that seemed to have a few customers here and there. This store was completely empty, save for the quarian working on a drone at the counter.

This was a bit of a surprise. Quarians weren't common on the Citadel, sort of like he was since he was a drell. If he remembered correctly, this quarian was male. He remembered seeing a few quarians on the ride to the Citadel and noticed that the males' suits tended to have a slightly more pointed mask while the females' were more rounded.

"Oh! Welcome!"

Yep. Definitely a male. The quarian seemed to move his current work out of the way so as to help a potential customer. Kolyat got a good look at the quarian while he waited and saw that his suit's colors were a mixture of purple and blue. Other than that, the quarian didn't really stick out that much.

"How can I help you?"

Kolyat looked back to the quarian, trying to make sure he maintained eye contact. Er, in this case, helmet contact.

"Yes, I'm looking for the owner," Kolyat said, clearing his voice to speak properly.

The quarian nodded his head and gestured to himself.

"You're lookin' at him!" the quarian said and Kolyat was sure there was a smile behind the mask judging by his voice.

The drell just stood there, staring at the quarian. No, that couldn't be right. Lynn said her father owned the store. Maybe there was another owner.

"No, no, I'm looking for a human," he reiterated. "Name Yessin? Daughter is Lynn? Human female who works here too?"

The quarian motioned his hands to himself again, a low chuckle hidden behind his mask.

"Again, you're lookin' at him."

This didn't make any sense. How was a quarian father to a human? Maybe Lynn's mother was a human. Maybe she had Lynn and married the quarian.

"Sir?"

Kolyat snapped his head back up to Yessin, who was probably deeply confused by the drell's words.

"You're Lynn's father?" Kolyat asked incredulously.

The quarian gave him another nod and another chuckle.

"Lynn's my daughter," Yessin said as he leaned against the counter, propped up on an elbow. "She's working right now in the back actually. Did you need me to get her?"

Kolyat shook his head, even though he wanted to see the woman. First he had to talk to the father, according to the extranet sites that covered human courting rituals.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you first," the drell said, feeling his throat become dry. "My name is Kolyat Krios and I wanted to ask for your permission to date your daughter."

The stunned silence made Kolyat reason that the quarian had not been expecting such a request. Yessin was quite for a few minutes, making the drell feel more and more uncomfortable. When the quarian's body began to shake, it caused Kolyat's body to stiffen up. Gods, he was going to punch him. Or yell at him. There were various scenarios that ran through his head, all which involved Kolyat being beaten by a quarian.

So when the drell heard a laugh, he just stared dumbfounded. That wasn't one of the scenarios his mind had conjured up.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Yessin said as he stood up straight and held up his hands. From the tone in his voice, the quarian was trying to contain his laughter. "You're asking _me_ for permission to date my daughter? _Lynn_? You're joking, right?"

Kolyat managed to straighten up both his body and his expression, shaking his head. Did he not sound serious? He needed to make sure that this man knew how serious he was.

That seemed to get Yessin to pause in his laughter. Quarians were extremely hard to read behind their masks so he had no idea what kind of face he was making.

"Keelah, you're serious then?" he asked, voice skeptical. "You really want to date Lynn? And you're asking for my permission?"

"I assumed this was the right course of action," Kolyat said with a shrug of his shoulders. "According to some extranet sites on human courting rituals. One source said it was imperative to ask the father for permission first before further pursuing his daughter."

Apparently that wasn't the response Yessin had been expecting. He probably thought that the drell would suddenly reveal this was all a prank and he was just trying to be funny. He wasn't. Kolyat was completely and totally dedicated to taking Lynn out. Seeing as he knew next to nothing about humans, he wanted to make sure he was doing things right.

The silence was starting to get to him. Not only was it extremely awkward and uncomfortable, but also it wasn't reassuring the drell of his chances.

Yessin seemed to have finally found the words he wanted to speak, but before he could, another voice called out, "Dad! I finished revising your resume! Come back here and-"

Lynn appeared, messing with her Omni-tool when she saw Kolyat. She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

Once again, the drell's eyes fell on her hips. He remembered vaguely one of his uncles saying that it was normal for drells to be attracted to hips. If he remembered correctly, it used to have to do with a female with wider hips giving birth better so males tended to fight over them. The drell never understood the hip fascination before. That is until he met Lynn.

"You?" she asked, her eyebrows narrowing slightly as she brought Kolyat back from his thoughts. "The hell are you doin' here?"

Yessin turned slightly to look to his daughter. The quarian seemed to be in the process of still analyzing the situation at hand.

"Lynn, love," Yessin said, struggling to find his voice again. "This drell came here to ask my permission to date you. I, uh, don't really understand how to respond."

Lynn gave an exasperated sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose, growing agitated. She honestly couldn't have any dreamed of the young drell doing something like this. The woman thought she had made it clear to him the other day that this wasn't going to happen.

"Seriously?" Lynn said, suddenly chuckling. "You seriously came here to ask my dad for permission? The hell gave you that idea?"

"Well, I looked up what I should do on the extranet and there was a site that-"

Kolyat was interrupted by another fit of laughter from Lynn. Her reaction was both embarrassing and angering him.

"Look, I don't know what humans expect!" he snapped quickly, eyes shooting her glares. "I wanted to do this right and make a good impression. I messed up at the bar! Just…gods, I want to take you out! Is that so gods damn bad?!"

When he realized what he said, it was too late. Lynn just stared at him, eyebrows arched and mouth once again slightly ajar. Gods, he probably just utterly ruined any chance of this happening. Why couldn't he have controlled himself better? Especially at something he wanted more than anything.

"You know what, sure."

Not only did her voice startle Kolyat, but her answer did more. The drell stared at her doubtfully. Did she just say she agreed?

"You…want to?" Kolyat asked carefully, trying his best not to ruin this.

"I guess," Lynn said with a chuckle escaping her throat and a smile grazing her lips, her shoulders shrugged. "Still don't think you're my type. I'm also pretty sure you'll come to regret this later. Still. Don't see why I can't at least go on one date with you. If I hate it, I won't be convinced to go on another one. Deal?"

Kolyat nodded his head, feeling incredibly stupid with his mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe it. She had flat out rejected and threatened him yesterday. Now she was agreeing? There was probably a downside to this, but he didn't care. She actually agreed to go on a date with him.

"Yo, Krios?"

Kolyat shook his head as he held up a hand. His mind was racing with possibilities on where to take her.

"My name's Kolyat," he said as he nodded his head to her, a small smile painted on his face.

"Kolyat, I think…."

The way she said his name had his mind go blank and he missed what the woman had said to him. All he did was nod his head at her, resisting the urge to laugh. He just couldn't believe his luck!

The brief feeling of happiness was interrupted when a hand whacked him upside the head. Eyes wide, he saw Lynn pulling away as she smirked.

"I think it'd be nice if you paid attention to me."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Another roll of those lime green eyes briefly distracted him again. When they narrowed, he snapped out of his thoughts to give her his full attention.

"I was asking if you had a place in mind," Lynn said, crossing her arms neatly over her chest. "If not, I can make some suggestions. I don't really like fancy places. I can hardly sit still long enough. Maybe going to Castle Arcade would be good."

Honestly, Kolyat hadn't even thought of where he would take her out before. He was so sure that she was going to give him another firm rejection. His plan didn't get this far. Still, he supposed that was a bit of a good thing.

"Castle Arcade would be good," he repeated quietly. "Um, when would you like to go?"

Lynn offered another smile as she grabbed a piece of paper and pen, scribbling down on it quickly.

"I get off around the same time you do," she said as she handed him the paper. "I'm off at my other job so I'm free. I'll meet you over at the arcade."

The drell felt his brain slow, unable to give him the knowledge to give her a proper answer. Another nod of his head and Kolyat was heading back to C-Sec. His lunch had been over for a good while now.

* * *

"He seemed nice."

Lynn watched as Kolyat disappeared into the crowds before turning, seeing her father leaned up against the doorway.

"Were you standing there the whole time?" Lynn asked, glaring at him though her eyes showed no hint of any true anger.

"No, I finished my resume and submitted it," Yessin said as he chuckled. "Came back in time to see you give him your Omni-tool information. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised you accepted."

The woman shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed the drone Yessin was working on previously, diving in to finish it for him.

"While I was in the back, did I hear correctly? Did you call him Krios?"

Lynn nodded her head idly as she put on a helmet, her eyes disappearing behind the screen after she pressed a button. To complete her response, she gave another shoulder shrug to her father. She began working on the drone, sparks flying from it as she put her Omni-tool to work.

"As in Krios who…" Yessin trailed off, watching his daughter intently.

Lynn knew he was being careful not to bring up anything she didn't want brought up. She nodded her head once more, another shoulder shrug given as a response. Yessin was quiet and she could feel his eyes piercing her back. Obviously he was waiting for her to finish and she knew he wouldn't leave until she did.

Lynn pulled away from the drone, sighing as she pressed a button. Her mask lifted up and she stared at her father. People had hard enough times trying to figure out quarians expressions and feelings from behind a mask. It wasn't an easy task. Other aliens found it extremely difficult to get a good read from them. Usually quarians got easier to read the longer someone was with them.

Like Lynn. She could read her father like a book, even when he was behind his mask.

"He's the son of that Krios," she explained softly. "I saved him the other day from making a mistake."

Yessin stood up straight and Lynn could tell her father was giving her a confused look.

"Wait, he was the kid?" he asked in disbelief. "The one who was gonna shoot a turian for that ass Elias Kelham?"

Lynn nodded her head as she leaned back, watching her father begin to piece everything together. It didn't take him long.

"You knew it was his son?" Yessin asked, his voice low and in suspicion. When his daughter gave him a nod, he sighed. "I had no idea. Is that why you've been a little…little…"

"On edge lately?" she finished, offering him a small smile. It was true. She had been a bit cranky ever since the incident. It had more to do with seeing Thane again than anything really. "Yeah. I also saw his father at the station afterwards."

"Did you say anything to Thane?"

Silence draped over them, the only sound heard being the numerous people just outside their shop. It was clear what her father was doing. He was carefully tiptoeing so she wouldn't end up like _that_ again. She wanted to tell him that he should have given her more credit. The years had been good to her and she was better than ever. Sure, this was a blow she hadn't expected to ever happen, but she was taking care of herself.

"I did," she said before turning back to her drone, mask once again covering her eyes.

That was her answer and Yessin knew that it was all he was going to get out of her for now. Her parents never pushed her, which was the rule. They always noticed a change in her mood, but never brought it up unless Lynn approached them about it.

Yessin said nothing as he reached over and touched her shoulder gently. If she were at her parents, his helmet would have probably opened and he would have given her a kiss on the head. Still. The message was clear and appreciated.

Of course her parents worried sick about her. After being put through hell for her, she understands. Still. She was happy with her life. No sudden appearances from her past could change that.

* * *

 _Castle Arcade; evening…._

 _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_

Kolyat moved quickly through and around people, a look of distress clear on his face. He muttered apologies that were probably going unheard. They didn't matter. The woman he was supposed to have met half an hour ago _was._

Despite knowing of his date, Bailey was forced to keep Kolyat after his shift ended. Several people had been arrested at a bar where a fight had ensued. A total of ten participants had to be documented and Kolyat's replacement was running late. There was a brief explanation about her kid needing to be rushed to the doctor for some reason or another.

Finally, the neon lights from Castle Arcade's sign came into view. He checked his Omni-tool for any updates, feeling his legs tremble underneath him from nerves. Somehow he managed to get a quick message to Lynn, explaining his situation and how he would be tardy. The woman merely told him she would be there and that was that. Was that a good sign? Was it bad? Was she angry?

The doors of the arcade swished open and the sounds of electronic games pinged through his head. His dark eyes began darting around the place quickly, looking for any sign of that cotton candy hair.

The touch on his shoulder caused Kolyat to flinch, whirling around to yell at whoever laid their hands on him. When he saw Lynn smiling, a knowing smirk on her face, he instantly relaxed.

"Easy there, tiger," she said as she gestured to his body. "Gotta relax or you'll keel over."

Seeing the smile displayed with those dark red lips began to soothe Kolyat, his nerves nearly vanishing instantly. Just the mere sight of this woman relaxed him and had him feeling at ease.

Lynn stood there, a hand on her hip as she watched his eyes move up and down her body. For the first time, Kolyat saw clothing cover up the human's stomach. A blouse rested on her chest, the blue and white vertical stripe design seeming to go well with her hair. Long legs were covered in dark grey pants, a neat crease down the interior. Open-toed heels covered her feet, dark black in color.

It was official. Her body was amazing. If her hips had been on display any better, the drell felt he would have passed out there on the floor.

"Not really arcade friendly," she teased, her voice bringing Kolyat's eyes back to her face. "But my mother insisted that this was best."

Kolyat nodded his head, staring blankly at her. That earned a smile and a chuckle, though it was difficult to hear from the amount of noise.

"Mom's a little obsessed," she said, waving a hand in exaggeration. "These aren't even my clothes. They're hers."

When Kolyat found his voice, he kicked himself mentally as it cracked ever so slightly.

"You look beautiful."

Another smirk was his response as her lime green eyes began eyeing his own body, moving from top to bottom gradually.

"Like the uniform."

It dawned on the drell that he didn't go home and change. As soon as he was cleared to leave, he practically ran here. His eyes fell down to examine himself. He was still in his blue C-Sec uniform, the blue camouflage style of his pants catching lime green eyes.

"Oh gods," he said as he ran a hand over his face. "I didn't go home and change."

Lynn's laugh filled his ears as he looked to her, watching her hold her sides as she smiled at him. Despite the fact that she as laughing at him, he knew she wasn't really laughing _at_ him. Soon enough, the drell joined her in laughter; ignoring the strange looks others gave them.

* * *

"So, how'd you end up with a quarian as a father?"

After spending over two hours at the arcade, Kolyat grew tired of having his butt kicked at the games and suggested getting something to eat. Lynn agreed, saying she was growing tired of beating him so easily.

They were currently sitting at the Presidium, Lynn digging fries in a patch of ketchup before urging Kolyat to try. The lights of the sky were slightly dimmed at some point after they found a bench beside the water.

"I'm adopted," was her reply, digging for more fries for herself. "My mom and dad adopted me when I was 12. Dad hadn't been married to mom for long. She's an asari named Irryny T'kani. I think they were only married for around a year when they decided to adopt me."

Kolyat figured Yessin wasn't her real father. Despite the fact that quarians were dextro-protein species, it just didn't seem at all possible for him to be her biological father. It was a bit off a pity. He wanted to see whom Lynn took after.

Lynn's eyes fell to him as she watched him think, the drell most likely trying to figure what was appropriate to ask and what wasn't.

"You remember Mouse? That guy you got Elias' information from?" When Kolyat gave her a nod, she continued, "I grew up with him. I was a duct rat like him. We grew up together, made sure we had each others' backs, things like that."

From the look on his face, Lynn gathered he was once more shifting through appropriate questions. How she grew up didn't upset her. She had been taken care of.

"How did your parents end up adopting you?"

That was a generally decent question and she could hear the slight worry in his voice. It was kind of cute, watching him try not to offend her.

"I met my father first," she said as she leaned back on her arms, smiling at the memories. "I always had a fascination for technology. I tried talking to store owners so that I could learn a thing or two, but they all ignored me. They said I was driving away potential customers with my filthy look. Dad called me over and began teaching me as much as he could. I visited him several times a week. Sometimes Mom would give him extra food so that I could get a good meal. After four years, they came to the conclusion together that they wanted to adopt me and voila. Part of the family."

Kolyat nodded his head when he found it appropriate, following her every word. She seemed to have been a little like him. He wouldn't tell her that, seeing as he thought her situation was far from his. Even though his father was never around, he always had his mother. Even after her death, he still had his aunts and uncles take care of him.

"After they adopted me, they got me a proper implant," she said. Confusion covered Kolyat's face, silently asking her 'what for?' "I'm a biotic. I'm not a very good one though. I can make pretty damn decent barriers, but other than that, not very talented. I don't use them for much anyway. If I ever get in a scrape, I just use Xeena."

As if summoned, a small display of the drone appeared on Lynn's Omni-tool.

"It is such a privilege to defend Ms. Lynn," the drone's voice chirped before disappearing.

Lynn shook her head with a smile as she turned back to look at Kolyat's face, eyes burning into his own. Kolyat chewed on his bottom lip slightly, a look that showed he was holding back a question. She had a strong idea what that question was.

"I'm assuming you're debating whether or not to ask me what my relationship with your father was," she finally said, Kolyat's eyes widening. "It's okay. Promise."

Kolyat's head moved up and down as he acknowledged her approval. Still. The drell found it hard to open his mouth and bring up the subject.

"I met your father a year before I was adopted," she said, deciding to spare Kolyat. "Mouse introduced us. Told me there was a guy paying him in credits, candy, and other trinkets just for watching people for him. I met your father and decided to work for him."

Lime green eyes began to soften. It was hard to determine from her face if the memories were pleasant or upsetting. It was possible they were both.

"Your father was a huge influence to me," she continued, though she refused to meet the drell's gaze. "He introduced me to the drell gods. It stuck. I get a ton of weird looks when others find out I worship drell gods, of all things. The religion opened my eyes and gave me a sense of…understanding. A sense of purpose. I was a kid, I shouldn't have been in a life crisis. Though when he told me of them, I felt so wonderful. I have always been grateful to him for that."

Kolyat had so many questions for her; questions he gathered might upset her in some way. Questions he also had no right to ask her in the first place. Maybe, if they continue down the road, he could get her to open up to him.

The silence broke as Lynn stood up, having finished off the fries on their plate.

"I should be headin' out," she said as she stretched her arms above her head, releasing a pleased sound. "Gotta work at my father's and the bar tomorrow. Gonna be a long day."

As Lynn gathered their trash and threw it away, Kolyat stood and watched her go. Gods he was a mess. He had no idea if this was going well or not. Of course, it was going amazingly for him, but he had no idea how to read the human. Kolyat tried his best to read her face as he made his way over to her, trying to decipher if she enjoyed their time together.

Deep in thought, destroying his mind, the drell had been too distracted to notice Lynn had stepped over to him. Soft lips soon pressed against his, eyes growing wide as he froze. A soft hand grazed his left cheek, fingers moving gently over the side of his head. Gods, she was incredibly soft. The way her fingertips trailed ever so lightly against his rougher skin sent chills throughout his body, causing the drell to jerk slightly.

When the soft lick of tongue touched his lips, a groan hummed in his throat. Mouth opening, a purr escaped as he felt the human's tongue enter his mouth and browsed her tongue with his. The way she coaxed him into moving his own tongue caused his hands shoot out. He found her hips and gripped them tightly, digging his fingers harshly through the fabric.

As his body finally caught up with his mind, the drell grazed his tongue over hers. He could have sworn he heard something gently come from Lynn, but it disappeared as soon as it came.

After several minutes of enjoying the sweet taste of Lynn, he felt her pull away and looked at her face. A smirk appeared, though it seemed as though she was teasing him and showing her own pleasure.

"I'll send you a message soon," she said as those long, soft fingers shadowed up his chest painfully slow. "I had fun. We'll definitely be doing this soon."

With a swift kiss to his lips, Lynn turned and began heading home. Kolyat stood there, lightheaded as he just watched until she was gone. As soon as she disappeared behind elevator doors, a large grin emerged.

They would _definitely_ have to do that again.


	4. Chapter 4

* **WARNING* This chapter contains non-con/rape situations and descriptions. If at any reason you would be upset by this, please do not read**

* * *

 _Harsh talons slowly dragged down a fragile, pale back. Soft whimpers escaped a throat as the talons dug deeper, leaving long marks of enflamed skin. Small droplets of blood trickled from the wounds where the talons had dug slightly deeper. One hand left the small dip of the back of his prey. The hand soon entangled in a mess of short, brown hair. Fingers moved smoothly through the strands, eventually developing into a small sign of affection, all to give his victim a torment of ease. Then, the hand grabbed a fistful of the dark hair and cruelly yanked back, reminding her that he was not done._

 _The response was a weak cry in the quiet, shadowy space where no one heard. It was futile. No one was there to protect her and there wouldn't be for numerous hours._

 _There was a soft click, clearly a sound of amusement. A young face stared up in horror, eyes filled to the brim with tears. Red accompanied around the bright lime green iris, pupils wide and shaking._

" _Please...please stop."_

 _The request was weak, voice hoarse and dry from her pain-filled shrieks. Wretched. That made him all the more aroused. The hand on her back moved to her cheek, three fingers cupped against a tear-stained cheek. His thumb grazed over her damp skin ever so delicately, smearing the moisture around._

" _Oh sweet, little Lynn," he said, purrs rising in his throat. "I'm afraid I can't do that."_

 _A weak sob escaped the girl's mouth, choking on her own actions._

"Please _, Tarvik. Please stop. I w-won't tell anyone. I'll keep qu-quiet, I promise."_

 _The response to her request was chuckle, causing another quiet sob to escape her throat. His hand fell from her cheeks, trailing his talons down her bare chest to her stomach. A talon dragged along underneath her navel where the girl's hips bucked up without her permission. His reward was to hear her cry out again, in disgust and horror that her body betrayed her. Ignoring incessant whispers of 'please don't' from the girl he touched._

 _Lime green eyes widened as she threw her head back with a gasp, her attacker's hand abruptly at her entrance. There was some sort of remark of how Lynn was 'enjoying this' that followed a wicked snigger. She screwed her eyes shut, tight as she could as if he was able to force them open. If she didn't pay attention to it, perhaps she wouldn't be in as much pain. That was a plausible theory, wasn't it? Surely it could be possible at least._

 _It wasn't. Another piercing scream of agony made her unable to think of anything but the finger that entered deep inside her. The pain was unlike anything she could have ever imagined. The talon scraped inside her roughly and she whimpered out, her throat in too much pain to muster up another scream._

 _Before she even had a moment to try to adjust, the finger was shoved in and out quickly. She found she was disgusted by the sounds her body made as it squelched when he moved his finger. Without warning, another finger was shoved just as roughly into her. Her attacker said something, but she couldn't make it out. She didn't_ want _to. All she wanted was to be able to drift off and not experience this._

 _This had to be a dream. No, not a dream. A nightmare. It just had to be! Soon she would wake up with her mother and father telling her that breakfast was ready and her biotic tutor would be there soon. Yes. That felt right. Just a nightmare. All she had to do was wake up._

 _Something brought her from her thoughts and her head snapped down. She looked at her turian captor, bareface grinning wickedly as he put his hands on her hips. He had his groin moved closer to hers. Realization hit and she began thrashing around desperately, her body running purely on adrenaline._

 _No! No way in hell would she let him do this! He couldn't! He wouldn't!_

 _He_ would.

 _She was paralyzed. She couldn't move. Her back was arched, her mouth was agape, and her eyes were wide. Her throat vibrated slightly as she made a choked, unknown sound._

 _This couldn't be real, but she knew it was. The turian was inside her and it was more than just painful. It was the most_ fucking _painful thing she ever felt. More painful than the times she had struggled to get food, resulting her to starve up to a week or two at a time. She thought that had been the worst pain she experienced and it was. That is until today._

 _It was thick and she could feel ridges against the walls of her insides. If she wasn't bleeding by now, she knew she had to be from this. It only got worse as the turian began to move his hips back and forth, moving as fast as he wanted and as rough as he wanted. She could feel his talons dig deep into her hips as he pulled her closer, a smirk on his face._

" _Lynn," he said with fake affection, silver eyes staring into hers. When he saw the horror and pure pain in those light orbs, he couldn't help but smile widely. "Lynn. Lynn. Lynn. Lynn."_

 _His voice was slowly changing. It was turning into a voice that was much deeper and dripped with real concern. A voice that she somehow knew._ That isn't Tarvik, _she thought._ Who's saying my name then?

" _-nn….Lynn….Lynn!"_

" _Help!" she cried out frantically, hoping the voice meant that help was coming. "Help me, please!"_

* * *

"Lynn! Lynn, wake up!"

As instructed, Lynn slowly opened her eyes. The bright light made her flinch as she tried to focus. Once her vision became clearer, she saw that she was facing towards the ceiling. Where was she? Her head turned and she could feel a hand move soothingly over her hair. It was calming her, slowly creating a feeling of shelter for her.

Dark eyes were filled with worry, both sets of eyelids blinking down at her. Oh, that's right, she thought, I'm at Kolyat's. One minute she had rested her head in his lap, making herself comfortable as the drell studied his C-Sec material. Must have fallen asleep.

"Lynn, are you alright?" Kolyat asked, using his other hand to cup her cheek. "Were you having a bad dream?"

Despite the rough feeling of his hand, she leaned eagerly into it and began rubbing her cheek against the palm. Was she having a bad dream? Even though she could still feel the aftermath, the panic and torture it had brought on her, she couldn't remember it anymore.

"I don't remember," she said after a moment of thought and silence, trying to dig for an answer deep in her mind. "It's gone. I don't remember anything about it. It's okay, Kolyat, don't worry about it. I'm fine."

That didn't seem to reassure the drell hovering over her. A smile crept on her face as she went to touch his own cheek, running her fingers slowly across. As soon as she saw him, she knew she was safe with him.

That was one of the main reasons she agreed to be with him. They had been together for over four months now and she was still reacting to the sound of his voice. Whenever she caught sight of him, if she was ever angry or worried, she would instantly feel relaxed and happy. For some reason, he had that sort of effect on her.

"Baby, I promise," Lynn said as she sat up, moving to face him properly. "Whatever it was, it's gone now. I don't remember it."

It didn't seem as though her boyfriend was completely reassured by her words, but his body did relax. With a nod of his head and a smile on his face, Lynn leaned up against his arm.

When she had fallen asleep, he was studying. Now he was reading a message on his Omni-tool.

"Who's that from?" she asked curiously, trying to change the subject.

Kolyat tensed slightly and she felt him fidget against her. Oh? Lynn learned that Kolyat always tensed when he was a bit uncomfortable or angry, but fidgeting meant that he was nervous. The two together was not a pleasant thought.

"Baby, baby, calm down," was her response as her hand fell to his back, slowly moving up and down. "You don't have to tell me if it upsets you."

Silence filled the room as Kolyat just stared at his Omni-tool. Finally, his head moved side to side as he sighed.

"No, it's okay," he said with a firm nod, trying to convince himself it was. "I mean it's nothing bad or anything. Not even something I really need to hide from you."

A pause fell after his spoke, the drell trying to find a way to word what was troubling him.

"My father messaged me," he said, looking over to catch Lynn's response. When he saw that she was waiting for him to continue, he did. "The _Normandy_ 's docking and he says Commander Shepard is going out for supplies. He said they'd be here for about three days. He wants to see me."

It came as a surprise to see Lynn simply smile at him. Sure, he was hoping she would be calm about this, but he was also worried she would get upset.

"That's nothing to be upset about," she said, a soft chuckle following. "It'll be a good thing to see your father."

Stiffness returns and Lynn sighed, shaking her head as she raised a brow at him. She said nothing, but her look said 'Explain.'

"Well it's not so much as I don't want to see him," he said as he looked off, trying to gather the courage to speak. "It's, well…he says a few of his crew mates are coming with Shepard and they all want to see me. Gods know why. Maybe Shepard wants to check up on me personally. The problem is…I _really_ don't want to go alone."

So that's why he was uncomfortable. He was nervous about asking her to come with him. The worry he felt wasn't a 'Oh my father and girlfriend are meeting for the first time' kind of worry. This was a worry that said 'Lynn would be extremely upset at the father of her boyfriend for something he hasn't learned fully yet.'

"If you want me to go with you, just tell me, Kolyat," she said softly, taking hold of his hand. "I'll make sure to keep you company."

As he opened his mouth to speak, Lynn shot him a look. She knew what he was going to say and she wasn't just forcing herself to go. After spending together so much, Kolyat should have known that Lynn does whatever she wants when she wants.

To avoid her horrible wraith by questioning her, Kolyat nodded his head and smiled more. It would be okay. If she got uncomfortable, he would take her home and see his father privately. Her leaving wouldn't upset him.

"When are they docking?" she asked curiously, her head tilted slightly.

"Day after tomorrow," Kolyat said with a nod. "He told me that we should meet on Level 26 of Zakera Ward. Something about the commander wanting to stock up on defense and health upgrades for the crew. Then we'll head somewhere to eat after we meet everyone."

When Lynn saw Kolyat completely relax, he was better. Of course she knew he was still bitter towards his father, but deep down he wanted to be involved with him. He came to that conclusion after a few heated arguments with the woman he cared so much for. However, after every fight, it ended with them making up in multiple ways.

Lynn reached out and grabbed hold of Kolyat's shirt, dragging her drell up. Before he could even think about asking, the woman pushed him onto his back. The look of confusion had lasted only half a second before turning into a small smirk. Soon Lynn as kneeling between his legs, arms on either sides of his head.

"Really?" he teased, unable to hold the light laugh he made. "That actually got you in the mood?"

"Hmmm the mood to make out," she corrected, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "You're not _that_ lucky for sex just yet. Deal was you have to make something super romantic or give me something that riles me up enough for me to _rip_ those clothes off you."

Her response made Kolyat shudder from beneath her, biting his bottom lip. Satisfaction filled her as she felt him become hard and aroused just by imagining her doing such a thing to him. Of course she wasn't a heartless beast. She would take care of him. Always did whenever her drell got like this. Then he would return the favor to her. They would both end up only slightly satisfied, but she assured him that patience would pay off.

"Damn it, Lynn! Fuckin' _do_ something!"

The agitation in his voice had her realize she had just been thinking quietly to herself. Oh the irony. The one thing her darling drell wasn't was patient. It drove him mad at just the _thought_ of having to wait.

With a smile on her lips, Lynn leaned down and simply grazed her lips over his. The ghost-like touch made him twitch and as he made to move his hands, she pinned them down by his wrists. Kolyat growled slightly when she made a disapproving sound, like she was disappointed in him for even trying.

"That was something," she whispered softly, her breath grazing his lips as she watched him closely.

Kolyat groaned, practically tasting her breath. Gods she drove him insane and he _loved_ it. Fuck Bailey. Sure Lynn was different and a bit rough, but it was all more than worth it. The biggest thing that turned him on was how dominant she was. She practically never let him take charge. As soon as he would try, she would flip them and once more take over. It was the hottest thing he ever saw. Every now and then she would let him take control, but he could see it in her eyes. Her eyes showed him just how much she was holding back the urge to just dominate again.

A slow lick to his lips brought him from his pleasurable memories, Lynn gently nipping at his bottom lip. The drell groaned quietly as he tried lifting his head, only to have Lynn pull away and shake her head.

Was he stupid? The real thing was right here! Gods, sure she was teasing him, but he just loved it.

"Remember," she purred, making to move back down towards him. "Be a good boy and I'll reward you, my beautiful, beautiful drell."

Kolyat swallowed down a hard gulp before nodding his head, doing everything in his power to relax beneath her.

That seemed to satisfy Lynn just enough. As much fun as she loved teasing and torturing him, she had her own urges that needed to be taken care of. He remembered her once saying that his body was an addiction and it was miserable resisting him. Afterwards, when she started getting that certain high from kissing, he teased that she actually _was_ getting addicted.

Lynn rested her chest on top of his, shuddering slightly as he felt her breasts. They were much softer than a female drell's, but he didn't care. Her arms moved back to the side of his face and she leaned closer to his face. Resisting the urge to be tempted was hard. This was probably her mocking him just a bit more before actually doing anything.

Since he had behaved for her, he had been pleasantly and surprisingly rewarded with a kiss. Lynn made a sound that showed her pleasure as she deepened the kiss desperately. It was music to his ears. As soon as Kolyat began returning the kiss, it grew less about passion and more about the desperate need for the other. Their kiss was sloppy and quick, both groaning as Kolyat tried to get Lynn's body closer to his.

Usually this resulted in a pause and another tease. Not this time. Lynn moved against him, just as eager to be as close to Kolyat as possible. He felt Lynn pull his face closer, her fingers trembling from the sheer want of him, but she needed more. He knew just what she wanted. The drell's tongue slipped from his mouth and began moving around Lynn's. She repeated his actions, but she was starting to slow down.

It hit her just as quickly as always. Lynn pulled away to breathe, both panting as their lungs begged for air. Kolyat confirmed that it indeed hit her and it hit her _hard._ The color in her eyes was practically gone save for the faint bits her pupil didn't cover. She panted heavily as she watched him, her hand running up his chest.

Gods he was just so damn _beautiful_ _ **.**_ The drug his body hit her with made her appreciate him all the more. That rough blue and green skin swayed on his body, moving like water. It was like he was made purely of the ocean, that the gods crafted him from the waters of the infinite shore. Light hit him as he moved slightly, trying to get comfortable. His skin shone brightly, like a setting sun's lights that were painted over the water.

In the first few minutes of her high, Lynn just had to move her hands over his skin. When his arms weren't enough, she began ripping at his shirt. Her efforts were fruitless, as she was always a little weak at first. Kolyat managed to move his hands slowly and pulled off his shirt. The soft whine Lynn gave made his cock twitch painfully in his jeans.

Her hands were on him as soon as his shirt was off. Kolyat watched as she trailed the tips of her fingers around his chest, giggling as she mumbled something about the ripples she made.

"I thank all the gods I can," he said, panting as he watched her hands move lower and lower with a lick of his lips, "that I met you."

Lynn's eyes glanced up at him and for a moment, her face was blank. Shit. He just said something weird, didn't he? Damn it. Gods damn it!

Then, a smile slowly began to appear across her lips while those lovely eyes stared up at him.

"Me too," she said quietly before she leaned down and bit the side of the drell's neck.

Kolyat groaned as his hips bucked and his back arched. He tilted his head, giving Lynn more room to do as she pleased. Her teeth dug harder into his skin, but she was soon licking it as though to soothe any pain he felt.

"Damn drell," she slurred slightly before catching herself, her fingers grazing over where she tried to mark him. "Your damn skin is too rough and it's all green and blue here. Can't leave my mark on you."

Kolyat couldn't help but chuckle at the childish way Lynn spoke in at that. That wasn't entirely true, as she had created dark marks on the lighter side of his skin. She was just too impatient when it came to this sort of thing. He reached an arm over and curled his fingers around her chin, leading her to look over at him.

"Why would you want to mark me?" he asked as he played along, watching Lynn take his hand and press the palm to her cheek.

"Because it'll show that you are _mine_ ," she said roughly, closing her eyes.

Kolyat just stared at her, taking in what she said slowly. She never said things like that. She always made it a joke or something. The way she was acting made him thing that she might have gotten a little higher than usual.

"So I'm yours?" he asked, testing how far this would go.

Lynn let out a giggle as she opened her eyes, her pupils covering most of her eyes. Gods, she really was higher than normal. Usually by now they would have shrunk, even if it were just a tiny bit.

"Of course you're mine," she said and he swore by her tone she also meant 'It's the most obvious thing ever, dumbass.'

Dark eyes just stared at her, his eyes moving to capture her face in detail. He knew he was going to remember this and he wanted every damn detail of it. She may never say something like that when she came down again. Perhaps she would, in due time. Lynn _did_ seem like the possessive type. Just a smidge.

Slowly, Kolyat reached out to her and cupped the back of her head. He pulled her closer and leaned up to reach her lips. The pleasant purr Lynn gave had his body shivering again. The drell leaned back against the couch, arms wrapped around his human as he kissed her deeper. Lynn was whining at how slow he was going and took it upon herself to grow a bit more aggressive. However, Kolyat pulled away and stared at her with a look so serious that made her pause.

"No," he said as he leaned up and kissed her cheek before moving to the shell of her ear. "Since you're _mine_ , we're gonna go a little slower now and savor the taste."

Lynn stared blankly as her head began to nod, completely shaken by the sudden authoritative tone in the drell's voice. He felt her own body shudder against him, the drell rubbing her back smoothly, before moving to the front of her shorts. She whimpered as she closed her eyes, hips twitching while Kolyat shoved his hand through to her underwear. Once he rubbed his index finger across her entrance, he smirked slightly at the feeling he felt for making her this excited.

"That turned you on so much?" he asked as he pulled her closer to his face with his other hand. When she nodded, he kissed her lips. "Good. We're going to enjoy the taste of our tongues together while I give _you_ a nice reward, my beautiful siha."

Lynn's eyes opened slightly, panting as she was hit with a fresh dose of toxin. She just stared at him, obviously not hearing whatever he said after he kissed her.

"Wha' you say?" she asked quietly, eyes firmly set on his lips.

Kolyat chuckled as he leaned up to nudge his head under her chin.

"Nothing important now," he said quietly. "Let's just enjoy each other."

Lynn nodded in agreement as she began rocking her hips, trying to get him to put his finger in her and not just toy with her outside. Kolyat obliged as he leaned up to kiss her once again, sliding his finger in.

The sound of her voice full of pure pleasure was almost enough to get him to release. Almost.

* * *

 _Two days later…_

"Kolyat, are you sure we're not too early?"

"I'm absolutely sure that we're not early, Lynn."

Actually, he had no idea if he was right or wrong. He didn't tell her that his father didn't actually specify a time that he would meet them. Great. It made him so ecstatic that his father forgot to mention the time, but at least remembered the place.

There was suddenly a soft beep and a light flashing as Kolyat's Omni-tool appeared. Oh thank the gods. His father sent him a message! Even though it was under some made up name and his father probably had taken other measures to prevent anyone from tracing it.

" _Just docked onto Citadel. Must go through C-Sec checkpoint. Will be there soon."_

Finally. Lynn would be satisfied to hear this. He smiled over at the woman, watching her tap her shoes impatiently. She was wearing another one of those shirts that didn't have sleeves and barely covered anything below her breasts along with shorts and boots. Of course she'd wear her favorite kinds of outfits. Wanted his father to start over and move on from whatever happened between them. He wanted to see Lynn, as she was, which he had no doubt was going to be a problem.

Instead of telling her that his father was close, Kolyat decided to let her pout just a little bit more. Even though she didn't say anything to him, Kolyat was almost starting to believe that she could kill him with those looks she was giving him.

Finally, he saw a familiar form of green and red. He saw his father making his way towards them, accompanied by four others. He instantly noticed Commander Shepard, as if he couldn't. The others were a quarian, a turian with a large scar on the side of his face, and a salarian that gave him a weird feeling. From what his father told him through their messages, they must have been Tali'Zorah, Garrus Vakarian, and Mordin Solus.

"Father," he said as Thane reached him, shaking his son's hand. It was too early to embrace. Too soon.

"Kolyat," he said. His voice sounded as though he were relieved, as if Kolyat wouldn't show up at all.

Kolyat suddenly realized he didn't know what to do at the moment. Was he supposed to introduce Lynn and his father to each other? They already knew each other and from the way they seem to act around each other, it was a bit awkward. He could see his father shift only slightly, barely at all really. Lynn looked as though she were determined to stare at the others in her group.

Finally, they were saved as Shepard took a step forward and clapped her hands, rubbing them together slightly.

"Okay!" she said, smiling as she laughed slightly. "That wasn't extremely awkward or anything. I guess I'll introduce Lynn to the crew."

Lynn stood up straight and managed a smile, silently thankful for the commander.

Shepard winked and began motioning to her crew, giving them a brief introduction. Lynn was relieved, to be honest. If Thane just came and it was only the three of them from the start, she didn't think she would stay. She needed to, for Kolyat.

"Tali, Thane told me that Lynn here was adopted by a quarian and an asari."

Lynn looked to the quarian and by the way her body moved (even in the slightest), it seemed as though Tali was…excited? Happy? She really couldn't pinpoint the exact reaction, but knew it was good.

"Yeah, Dad taught me everything he can about machinery, hacking, creating drones, things like that," Lynn said with a weak laugh. "He said he was surprised when I made my own info drown that also participates in combat."

"You did? That is amazing!" Tali said with enthusiasm as she moved closer. "Do tell me. May I see your drone?"

Kolyat managed to smile as he watched Lynn engage in conversation with the quarian, Xeena making an appearance. The way Lynn was smiling looked genuine and not like she was forcing it at all. Maybe this Tali would keep her from getting uncomfortable.

"Thane, I'm gonna head over to Sirta," Shepard said as she jabbed a thumb over to the store. "Won't be long."

Thane only nodded his head before turning his attention back to Kolyat, hands folded neatly behind his back. Now it was awkward for Kolyat. What was he to say? What was he to _do_?

"Commander Shepard has informed me that Bailey updates her about you," Thane said and when Kolyat looked up, he was smiling. "Says you are making progress and even started on your studies to become an officer."

Kolyat blinked before offering him a smile in return, nodding his head.

"Captain Bailey said he's gonna try and put in a good word. It might take a while, maybe a year or two, but he says I should still study. Says if he approaches a Councilor he can try to convince them that allowing me to become an officer would make the Councilor look good. Said that they could get positive feedback for helping the first drell C-Sec officer."

Garrus stepped forward and patted the young drell's shoulder.

"C-Sec isn't as glamorous as you think," the turian said, his mandibles clicking slightly. "Still. You seem like a good kid. Even if you did get disarmed by a drone."

Kolyat narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling the embarrassment wash over him. Garrus held up his hands as he chuckled, backing up only slightly.

"Only joking, only joking," he said with a laugh. "Everyone's got to start off somewhere. Not everyone goes in knowing how to do everything."

The young drell instantly relaxed and offered a genuine smile. That _did_ make him feel a bit better. His eyes turned over to the salarian that had been quiet this entire time. According to his father, the salarian usually never stopped talking. Talked too fast and got distracted by new things that peaks his interests.

Mordin was standing behind Garrus, eyes fixed on something. Kolyat gave a curious look before turning to see what he was looking at it. Following his direction, it seemed the salarian doctor was looking at Lynn. Why? All she was doing was listening to the quarian explain several techniques that the human could do to improve her work. Lynn was nodding her head, her attention focused entirely on Tali. So why was the salarian watching her?

"How is she?"

Kolyat jerked back at the sound of his father's voice. Thane had followed his son's gaze and seemed to watch Lynn as well.

"Yeah, the human give you any trouble?" Garrus joked with a chuckle. "At least _you're_ not allergic to them. It's weird being with a different species, but Shepard is amazing. From what I've seen on that day, Lynn's kinda got Shepard's attitude. They can be a handful."

Kolyat nodded as he turned back to his human, watching her carefully. Something felt off, but what? Lynn looked just fine. She was having what seemed like an enjoyable conversation with someone who could keep up with all her tech talk. Still. It seemed like the salarian saw something and it made him feel uneasy.

"Yeah, yeah she's good," Kolyat finally answered, having struggled to find the words he wanted. "She's great. Just…just amazing."

Thane watched his son with blank eyes before turning to look at Lynn. When Kolyat noticed how intently his father was watching her, there was a horrible feeling stirring. Was he jealous of his father? Thane and Lynn had obviously had some sort of relationship in the past, but what kind? No, Lynn was too young. His father wouldn't have done such a thing. Still. That didn't mean that Lynn wouldn't have had feelings for him. Why did that make him so angry?

"She's gotta be if she beat Thane to you," the turian joked, chuckling to himself. "I liked that drone she used. It was pretty fast."

Garrus walked passed the drells and made his way to Lynn and Tali. He smiled when he reached the women, gently putting his shoulder on Lynn's arm to alert her of his presence.

That's when things went to hell. Lynn turned around so fast that it startled Kolyat. Her eyes were wide and her body was shaking. The drell always loved those beautiful eyes of hers, but suddenly they looked as though she intended to kill the turian before her.

* * *

 _Six years ago…_

" _You know what amazing fact I've learned recently, Lynn?"_

 _The young girl screamed in pain as the turian above continued thrusting harshly into her, ignoring the droplets of blood at her entrance. He lifted a hand and used his talons to claw harshly down the teen's newly developed breasts. She cried out once more in pain, feeling his cock twitch in arousal inside her._

" _I'm not all that allergic to humans."_

 _If turians could smirk, she new Tarvik would be. The tone in his voice told her everything, hearing the faint tones of gloating. The bastard was getting off on this, on her pain. It made her sick, but she couldn't stop those desperate cries of pain. This was her first time. This damn turian took away something she so desperately wanted to give to someone she cared for. Now she was dirty. She was disgusting with the way her body felt pleasure through the pain. Against her will, this turian permanently left his mark on her and she would never forget him no matter how hard she would try._

" _But what about you, little human? Do you know if you're not too allergic to us dextros?"_

 _Another wave of pain surged through her as Tarvik clawed down her other breast, squeezing the irritated wound until it bled. When it did, he chuckled and smeared the small droplets over her pale skin._

" _We can find out. I'm getting close to finishing you off. Once I do, I'll_ still _be inside you even when I pull out."_

" _Don't…please…"_

 _Tarvik simply made an amused sound at the pathetic plea for him to stop. No matter how many times she begged, he wasn't finished with her. Not until_ he _was finished._

 _Tarvik grabbed her legs and threw them over his shoulders. He then grabbed her hips and began slamming into her, the young woman finding the strength to cry out once more._

" _You know what's good about you humans?" the turian said, groaning quietly as he continued. "You're so damn flexible. My favorite thing about you is how soft your skin is. How easy it is for me to mark your body without having to try. It's amazing."_

 _Lynn tried to block out his voice, trying to reassure herself that he was almost finished with her. Then he'd leave. Then he'd leave her alone there, bleeding and in horrible pain. She begged to the gods to help her survive this, to give her the strength to hold out._

 _The turian above her slammed himself in to the hilt before groaning loudly, his head thrown back. Soon Lynn felt something warm fill her insides and she had to resist the urge to vomit. Once he finished his climax, Tarvik pulled out of her and she could feel his essence leak out from her._

 _While Lynn lied on the floor in pain, Tarvik stood up. Rustling behind her made her think that he was getting dressed. Made her hope, really. Gods, her body was in so much pain. It was getting harder to breathe. Was this due to an allergy to turians? Or was it because she screamed her throat raw?_

 _Tarvik chuckled above her, finally covered in his clothes. He knelt to her and smirked before leaning down._

" _Maybe we can speed this up and see how allergic you really are."_

 _Even though Lynn gave a weak process, it was in vain. She watched as the turian leaned down and suddenly something was piercing through the skin in her neck. All she could muster up was a weak cry, squeezing her eyes shut as he dug his teeth through her skin. Gods, please be over, she prayed silently._

 _Tarvik finally pulled away and stood up, though Lynn refused to open her eyes. Now it was even harder to breathe and the young teen was gasping desperately for breath._

" _Enjoy, Lynn."_

* * *

"DON'T FUCKIN' TOUCH ME, TARVIK!"

No one saw the young woman raise her hand, glowing blue and purple. Her eyes were wide with rage and her body revealing her intent to kill. Before she was able to move, her body became surrounded by the same biotic glow her hand emitted. She was then tossed to the side, landing on the cold ground.

Kolyat looked over and saw his father's hands glowing for a moment before it faded. He stopped her. What the hell just happened?

"What's going on?"

The small group looked up to see Shepard had returned, looking from Thane to Lynn. The young woman was on her knees, shaking her head as she tried to regain control over herself.

"Thane, what just happened?" Shepard asked as her eyes narrowed towards the drell. She wasn't angry with him, she just wanted to know what the fuck just happened.

"Appears to have experienced flashback, confused Garrus for someone else," Mordin said as he hummed, watching Lynn slowly get to her feet. "Should have stopped. Saw signs. Eyes were glassy. Distant. Unfocused. Memories came to surface. Garrus' touch was trigger. Basically bomb waiting for detonation."

"What?" Kolyat asked as he stepped forward, trying to get any sort of understanding. "What do you mean flashback? What just happened? Why did she do that?"

Kolyat turned to Lynn and felt his heart tighten. Lynn was staring at them in horrible, slowly realizing what she had done. Before Kolyat could move, she backed away as she shook her head.

"I…I need to go to the restroom," she said quietly, staring at her hands for a moment before taking off.

"Lynn!" Kolyat cried and started after her, but was pulled back by a hand.

The young drell turned to see his father holding his arm, preventing him from comforting the woman he cared for.

"The fuck are you doing?" Kolyat snapped, eyes narrowed as he tried pulling away. "Let me go! I need to make sure she's okay!"

"I'm not sure that's the best action to take at the moment," Thane said, his voice still as calm as ever. How could he act like nothing just happened?

"I can't just leave her alone!" Kolyat said. "She's in pain!"

"Boy is not wrong," Mordin intervened. "Distraught. Risk of hurting herself. Would be best to have someone see her."

"I'll do it."

Everyone turned to Tali, one of her hands raised.

"I mean, we just met, but-"

"Do it," Kolyat said, pleading desperately. He just wanted to make sure Lynn was okay. Was she really at risk of hurting herself? That made it even clearer that she should not be alone.

Tali nodded her head slowly before walking off to where Lynn disappeared.

* * *

The bathroom was silent and clear, all for one human. Lynn's hands clenched tightly at the sides of the sink as she stared into the mirror. Her breathing had become quick and heavy, her eyes still wide.

"What just happened?" she whispered quietly to herself. "I…I haven't experienced that…that… _that_ in years. Where did it come from? I thought I was past this."

Knuckles turned white as she gripped tighter to the sink. She had moved on. Sure, the memories were still there, but she hadn't felt like this since she was 18. Things got better. She was happy.

"Are you alright?"

Lynn turned around quickly, hands glowing slightly. When she saw Tali, she began to relax and lowered her hands.

"I'm…I didn't mean to do that just now," she said quietly. " _Any_ of that. I just…I just…"

It was getting harder and harder for Lynn to not tremble, to not cry. Her eyes filled with tears against her wishes, desperately holding back a sob.

"Hey, hey," she heard the quarian say, her voice so soothing. "It's okay."

Just hearing her talk was making her feel better. It must have been that accent. It was just like her father's only softer. Her father always somehow made everything better. Gods, if he saw her now she would be devastated. All that hard work, all those credits would have been just wasted if she broke again.

Tali moved over carefully and wrapped her arms.

"Why…why are you doing this?" Lynn said, though she returned the gesture eagerly. "You just met me. Why are you comforting me?"

"Because you are a part of us," Tali said softly. "Even if you were adopted by a quarian, you still feel like a part of the Fleet. Shepard told me that you helped a quarian a few weeks ago. Kolyat mentioned it to Thane and he told Shepard. You helped a quarian who was getting accused of thievery. Even when the clerk brought back the credit chic, the volus and officer were still treating her like garbage. Then you stepped in and told them off. You told them you didn't care if you got arrested. You told them you weren't going to let them insult her any longer."

That was the reason? Lynn did the decent thing. She always stood up whenever she saw a quarian being unjustly persecuted. Hell would freeze before she would sit back and watch that.

"I remember her," Lynn whispered quietly. "I told my father about her. He got her a job as his assistant."

Tali leaned back and nodded. For some reason, Lynn thought she was smiling behind that helmet. The way her bright eyes just looked made her believe it was true.

"It's okay," Tali said as she rubbed her arm, trying to soothe the young woman. "Everyone has some sort of problem that isn't their fault. I'm not going to pry, I have no right. Still, I know you shouldn't blame yourself. It's okay."

Lynn listened to her and couldn't help but smile. She really did sound like her father. If he was there with her he would have said the exact same thing. He used to tell her that asking for help didn't make someone weak. There was no shame in seeking support.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I think I needed to hear that."

Tali patted her arm as she nodded her head.

"Do you want to go back to the others or stay?" Tali asked carefully, eyeing the young woman's response.

"Let's go back."

* * *

"What the hell just happened?" Kolyat repeated as he paced around. "Lynn's never acted like that before. Sure she gets a bit aggressive, but only when she needs to. She's never raised her hand like that when she didn't need to." The drell looked down, staring at the cold floor. "And her eyes…gods, her eyes. I've never seen that look in them before. I've always thought they were beautiful, but with that look in them…gods, I was scared."

Thane just stood there, unsure on what to say to his son. Even he was confused as to what just happened.

"Most likely suffers from PTSD," Mordin chirped up. "Post traumatic stress disorder. Occurs when victim experiences a tragic event. Can cause anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks. Most likely had flashback."

"So…it's like she was reliving that memory like a drell?" Kolyat asked. "With perfect clarity? As though she was experiencing it again?"

Mordin nodded his head as he thought, tapping his arm as he thought out loud.

"Flashbacks need trigger," the salarian said as he began pacing. "Something put it in motion. Seems Garrus touching her set her off. Yes, yes. Possible that traumatic event caused by turian."

"A turian named Tarvik," Garrus said as he crossed his arms. "Damn it. Shouldn't have even touched her. Don't know why I did."

Mordin shook his head as he continued rambling.

"No, no, would have been set off soon," he said with a nod. "Eyes were glassy, unfocused. Might have been trying to prevent this. Possible she knew without knowing. Tell me, has she been moody lately? Sudden changes? More aggressive than usual, perhaps?"

"No, nothing different from usual," Kolyat said as he shook his head. "She's been acting like her normal self. She's been, well, she's been acting like Lynn. She seemed okay when we got here. She was even complaining to me like usual."

Mordin nodded as he moved around again.

"Then mood suddenly changed when we got here," he said quietly. "Saw look on her face. Holding back. Trying not to remember. Yes. Perhaps something brought memories of past. Unpleasant memories. Very strong."

Kolyat's fist tightened as he shot a look over to his father.

"You," he said quietly. "She was fine until she saw _you._ "

Thane said nothing as he stood there, watching his son carefully.

Even though Thane saw him coming, he let his son grab him by his jacket and slam him into the nearest wall.

"What the fuck did you do to Lynn?!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Tell me what you did to her!"

Kolyat's eyes were narrowed as he breathed heavily, adrenaline pumping through him to feed his anger. It had been so difficult for him to respect Lynn's requests concerning her relationship with his father, but he did. For _her_. She had told him she would explain everything to him when she was ready. Even though he desperately wanted her to open up to him, he knew these things take time. Whatever those things are. However, there was no way he could ignore her reactions any longer. The mere mention of his father's name would make her uncomfortable.

"Tell me why she reacts so negatively at the mere mention of your name!"

Thane just stared down at his son, an unreadable expression on his face. It soon softened and Kolyat could swear he could see guilt paint over it. Kolyat had expected his father to enlighten him, but still the assassin remained silent.

"Why won't you tell me?!" Kolyat yelled as he pushed him harder, trying to inflict _some_ sort of pain on his father. The lack of reaction from his father only fueled his anger. "Are you that ashamed? Are you so ashamed that you cannot bring yourself to explain your actions? Was what you did to her so ghastly?"

Once more, silence was Kolyat's answer.

"Kolyat, I think you should stop before this escalates further," Shepard said, stepping forward carefully.

Kolyat snapped his head to the commander, eyes wild with anger as he sneered towards her.

"You stay out of this!" he hissed crossly. "This has nothing to do with you!"

The drell expected some kind of retaliation, but was handed only more silence. No one else dared to speak as their crewmate's son lashed out at his father. Perhaps they thought it would be best to let Kolyat vent. It was evident that Thane was more than capable to protect himself, though they suspected he would never harm his son.

"Why are you not defending yourself?!" Kolyat screamed, breaking through the silence. "Was it so vile that you can't justify your actions? Did you touch her? Were you so consumed by desire that you would take a mere child into your bed?"

The way his father tensed meant he struck a nerve. The reaction was so subtle that Kolyat barely caught it. The young drell's imagination began to wonder, contributing towards his wrath's desire to flourish.

"Oh? Was I close?" Silence. "She told me how much you meant to her and the way your influence drastically impacted her life. Did she love you? Did she request that you lay with her? Did you succumb so easily to lust? Did you fu-"

"Kolyat!"

At first Kolyat was sure that his father ultimately chose to defend himself or maybe even explain. However, when his thoughts processed the voice properly through his rage, it was clear the voice was female.

Loosening his grip on his father's jacket, the drell turned to discover the chilling sight of an absolutely _furious_ gaze directed at him courtesy of lime green eyes. Not once had he ever been on the receiving end of such a frightening look. Never before had it crossed his mind that Lynn would ever give him such a stare.

"Lynn?" he asked quietly, retreating from his father before beginning to approach her. "I just…I was just trying to-"

A loud smack echoed before he finished. Kolyat felt his hand covering the source of the blow, which was a stinging, burning cheek. He hadn't seen her take the necessary steps to be able to strike. The young drell just stared at Lynn with a blank look, as though waiting for an obvious explanation.

"How _dare_ you," Lynn growled lowly, the angered-filled voice running a shiver through his spine. "How _dare_ you go behind my back when you gave me your _word_ you would let me explain when I was ready. Then, you have the _balls_ to accuse your father of…of…"

Lynn shook her head as she rubbed the arms she had wrapped around her chest. Tali patted her back, thinking it was inappropriate to touch her any more intimately. They still just met after all.

"Lynn," Kolyat said once he regained his wits, taking a wary step towards her. "I just thought…with the way you've been acting around him, looking so uncomfortable, I just thought…After how you reacted to Garrus while you screamed, I just thought that my father may have hurt you. I thought he might have hit your or…or…" The drell didn't even want to finish what he thought was a possibility.

The bright blue and purple glow brought Kolyat back to his human, watching as Lynn's fists began glowing. He blinked and moved back, baffled and nervous at her reaction.

"It is none of your business!" Lynn's voice was simply dripping with disgust and annoyance. "You had told me you valued my decision to tell you when I was _ready_. Then, I return to see you trying to intimidate your father while alleging that he did such things to me!"

"I apologize, but I was worried!" Kolyat waved his hands around his sides, trying to control the anger that was rising inside him. This wasn't the time to get angry and say something he would regret. "Of course I respected your choice to wait, but you can't just expect me to sit here quietly as though nothing happened just now! I just want to know what happened so I can help you!"

"I don't need your help! I have everything under control!"

"Oh sure I believe that! The way you just screamed in fear and lost control of yourself really shows that!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a part of Kolyat regretted them and wanted desperately to take them back. Then there was the part that wanted to tell her this. Did he want to upset her? No, of course not, but she was being stubborn when he was offering to help her.

"Siha, I…," he started, unsure what to say.

Apparently, those two words weren't right.

Lynn's eyes grew wider as she stared at her drell, her mouth agape only slightly.

"What…what did you just call me?" she asked softly, voice barely above a whisper.

Gods damn it. The words had slipped out without even a second thought from him. This was the first time she heard him call her such a thing. At least while she was sober and not high from their kissing. This was not the perfect moment he wanted to call her by this. This wasn't a moment he wanted her to remember.

So, when Lynn stepped towards him, the drell braced himself for another slap. He deserved it. However, a slap was not what he was greeted with. Instead of an open palm to the face, a closed fist struck his cheek. The force of the impact had him reeling back, trying to regain his foothold.

As he gathered himself, he turned towards Lynn with the demands of an explanation gathering on his tongue. The sight before him halted his speech.

Lynn stood before him and it was obvious how hard she worked at restraining the tears that formed in her eyes from falling. Her body shook; whether from rage or some other emotion was unclear to him. Though, for the first time since he met her, this human before him looked fragile.

"How _dare_ you?" The voice that arose from Lynn's chest was filled with disbelief, hurt, and anger all at once. "How _dare_ you address me so at such a time? Do you wish to douse the flames of my rage with sweet words?"

Say something, say anything, was all he could think as he stared Lynn. Lynn who stood before him waiting for his explanation. An explanation he was still working on and could not express into words. His mind kept screaming at him to apologize to her, to beg for her forgiveness, but he just stood there frozen.

Lynn shook her head as she sucked in a heavy breath. The disappointment on her face was practically enough to kill him, the added despair piled onto his misery. Even as she turned to walk away, he still could not get his legs to move. It was only when she disappeared from his line of sight that he was able to move. His eyes fell upon the group before him, watching his father's crew members try not to look.

"I…," Kolyat started as he cleared his throat, looking over at his father. "I need to go. I will message you tonight, Father. We…we can catch up tomorrow."

Nobody said a word as the young drell stalked over to the elevators. As he made his way up, his thoughts flooded with questions that asked what he could do to fix this.

* * *

 _Two weeks later…_

"Kid, I need you to stay focused."

Kolyat looked up from his desk to see Bailey standing before him, a look that showed he was sympathetic for him but needed to stay stern. Those looks happened several times a day as he worked over the last few weeks.

"I'm sorry, Captain," the drell said quietly as he looked over to his monitor, trying to continue the work he began earlier.

Bailey stood there quietly, watching the boy work as best he could to catch up on the work he was so desperately behind on. It was a bit sad, watching the kid struggle to keep himself focused at work.

"She still hasn't spoken to ya?"

Dark eyes rose from the monitor before him to see Bailey pulling a chair up, making himself comfortable. The captain moved a hand, signaling for the boy to answer him and to be quick about it.

A deep sigh breathed from Kolyat's nose as he shook his head before grabbing at it.

"Gods, she hasn't spoken to me in two weeks," he mumbled, even though the captain knew this already. "I've tried messaging her, I've tried going to her apartment, hell I even tried to go see her at the Drunken Varren. Soon as I stepped into that bar, a krogan bouncer told me I wasn't allowed back in. Gal's orders."

Bailey said nothing as he watched the young drell breathe in deeply, trying desperately to come up with an answer to his problems. He waited patiently for Kolyat to continue.

"She won't let me talk to her. I have tried to come up with the best way possible to apologize, but none of my ideas are any good. I want to get down on my knees and beg for her forgiveness, tell her I'd do anything if it meant she would forgive me."

The weight of Kolyat's forehead dropping to his desk made a soft _thud,_ which was followed by groan.

"I should have kept my mouth shut," he said, his voice muffled against the desk. "I should never have said anything. I was just blinded by the fact that she wouldn't accept my help…I made her feel like I didn't respect her wishes. When she started screaming about this Tarvik who hurt her, I just couldn't control myself."

Bailey's eyebrow rose as he stared over at the boy. That last part hadn't been mentioned before.

"Did you say Tarvik?" the captain asked, to which a nod was given as a reply. "Shit. I haven't heard that name in years."

Kolyat was on his feet instantly, his chair falling back onto the ground at the force. His eyes were wide and stared down at Bailey. The captain just sat there and watched his assistant.

"You know of Tarvik?" The desperation in Kolyat's voice made Bailey feel regret at revealing such little information. "Do you know what it is he did to her? What he did to have her act such a way? Please, if you could just te-"

"I can't," Bailey interrupted, raising a hand to silence the boy. "It is not my place to tell you something so personal about Lynn."

The young assistant hurried around the other side and gently grabbed at his captain's shoulders, gripping slightly harder.

"Please, Captain!" the drell begged, his body trembling before the human. "Please, tell me what happened. I can't…I can't stand this any longer. My actions hurt Lynn in a way that was made worse by her past incident. If I just knew what happen, I could probably gather what I need to apologize properly to her!"

Bailey hesitated all of two seconds before shaking his head once more, his eyes closing. He felt the drell's fingers loosen from his person, but knew that he was still angered.

"Kolyat, I _can't_ ," the man whispered as he looked around. "It's…this isn't like the information I gave you before. This isn't something that'll help you win her over like telling you her favorite foods and videos. This is something I shouldn't say because it is not my _place_ to."

Kolyat stepped back and quietly stared at the man before him. The silence between them lingered for a couple minutes, the sound of those passing by filling in the void.

"Please, Bailey."

The captain's body tensed. The boy was giving him such a broken look with a voice to match. This wasn't good.

"Please. I…I think I'm in love with this woman. I don't want to lose her because of my incompetence. Please. Please help me."

How the hell did this kid manage to get to him? It reminded him of the way Lynn used to sucker him in like that when she was a child.

Was it really okay to tell him? He honestly had no idea how to answer such a question. His mind was screaming that it was an insanely terrible idea while another voice told him it could possibly help both these kids.

"Come to my apartment after my shift tonight," Bailey said as he rose to his feet, staring blankly at Kolyat. "What I am going to tell you cannot be for anyone else's ears. I'll also need a few drinks to get through it."

* * *

 _Later that night…_

A door stood between him and information. Kolyat's nerves were shaken and he felt as though his legs were going to give up on him. The way Bailey spoke made it seem as though he were committing some heinous crime.

The door slid open, revealing Bailey in his civilian clothes of blue jeans and a plain white shirt. In his hand he held a bottle of what Kolyat presumed was the alcohol he previously mentioned he would need.

"Come in," Bailey said quietly, the door sliding closed once Kolyat stepped in.

The apartment was small and torn, reflecting that the pay of a C-Sec officer wasn't close to providing luxury. It was clear by the trash and laundry littered across the living room that the captain lived alone and didn't care about picking up.

"Just ignore the mess," the human captain said, as though he had heard Kolyat's thoughts.

Bailey sat in a large armchair and motioned for the drell to take a seat on the couch. Once Kolyat made himself comfortable, Bailey pulled out a pack of beer and placed them on the glass coffee table between them. He gestured a hand over them, silently offering his guest one. Kolyat refused and just stared as Bailey finished his previous beer and worked on his second.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two men, neither truly knowing how to start. Kolyat gripped at his pants anxiously as Bailey took several more sips from his drink. Then, with a loud sigh, the captain places the bottle on the table under a coaster.

"Kolyat."

Though his voice broke through the silence, it wasn't what startled the young drell. It was _how_ Bailey said his name. The man's voice was filled with warning while threatening him quietly. It was enough to make Kolyat gulp and feel as though his life were in danger.

"The things I am about to tell you do _not_ leave this room," Bailey growled, eyes narrowed as he gripped the arms of his chair tightly. "Once I tell you these things, you can't go back. You won't be able to come back from this pretending like nothing happened. If I so much as sense a hint of betrayal from you, I will make your life an absolute living _hell._ Do you understand? Do you still want to go through with this?"

The answer was obvious: he did. He was so crazily in love with Lynn and it both scared and thrilled him to realize this. If anything he could be told would help fix the mess he made, he would take it.

"I…I love Lynn," he managed to stutter out. "I know that seems silly, crazy even. Still, I feel that we are supposed to be with one another. I don't want to fuck this up any more than I already have by saying unknowingly saying something to upset her. I promise, Bailey. Not a soul will be told and no chance I will abandon her."

"Very well," Bailey said as he grabbed his beer and leaned back. He took a sip and stared straight into the drell's blackened eyes. "Where to begin?"

* * *

"I feel I need to give you a little background on Lynn for you to understand everything else."

A sip was taken from the alcoholic beverage, finishing it off. Bailey grabbed another and just held it as he relaxed in his seat.

"From what we know, Lynn came to the Citadel with her biological mother in 2172, when Lynn was eight years old. Lynn hadn't been there an hour before she came to an officer and told them she couldn't find her mother. The officer who wrote down the report was Talus Vakarian. When Officer Vakarian began searching for Lynn's mother, it was discovered that soon after she left Lynn, she hurried to the next ship off the Citadel for Omega.

In his report, Officer Vakarian mentioned that he spoke with his superiors on what they should do with Lynn until they figured things out. Vakarian believed Lynn overheard them and that was when she decided to make a break. What little information I could dig up about her at that age was not much. Lynn filled in the pieces together for me."

While Bailey took a moment to catch his breath and his thoughts, Kolyat just stared at him in confusion. How did knowing this help him understand what happened with Tarvik? Of course learning more about Lynn was satisfying; it didn't make him feel good. He wished Lynn would have told him this and was starting to regret going behind her back. However, he needed to see this through to the end.

"Lynn became a duct rat from then on. It wasn't long until she was taken in by a group of boys who called themselves the Citadel Six. There were six members, hence the name. Four were human and the other two were turians. They all lived on the streets together and worked to keep themselves alive. They instantly felt a platonic pull towards Lynn and took her under their wing. One of the turians in the group was Tarvik. He was a, uh what do the turians call them? Ah, yes, he was a bareface. I guess those don't trust easily among turians, but that didn't seem to bother the Six.

The group took care of Lynn and gave her money to get them necessities. They helped find Lynn easy work to earn money that didn't involve putting her in danger. From what Lynn told me, they were like a family.

Then came the day Tarvik was kicked out of their group to be replaced. Lynn claims that she didn't want to tell me what their reason was, but I believe that she didn't _know_ why the others kicked him out. All she could say was that he always made her uncomfortable and nervous. She had been more than glad that he was gone.

Well, things got worse when an opportunity discussed as luck struck the boys. They were accepted into the Blue Suns on Omega and told Lynn it would mean more money for her to have a better living. The first couple months were great. Then, everything stopped. The money, the messages, the video chats, everything. Lynn said she believed they either died or abandoned her. When she got older, she believed they really did die. I met her months later when she attempted to sell herself as a prostitute. Girl was only nine years old and didn't have a clue what she was asking for. I approached her as an officer and we sort of just bonded."

Kolyat watched Bailey take another break before excusing himself, saying he needed to relieve himself in the bathroom. As he waited, the drell tried to process everything he was just told through his mind. The things Bailey told him made sense and didn't come all that much of a surprise. Lynn had to have started off somewhere. It bothered him that her mother's betrayal wasn't given an explanation. Perhaps they didn't have one.

Bailey came back a moment later, grabbing his beer to take a swig. He sat down and looked at Kolyat, as though he were waiting for the drell to show signs of reluctance. Kolyat defiantly narrowed his eyes and nodded for Bailey to continue.

"Now, to Tarvik," Bailey said with a sigh, curling his mouth in disgust as though the mere name made him sick. "Lynn hadn't seen him in years, not since her brothers kicked him out of the Six. Yessin and Irryny had adopted Lynn and life was good for her. She kept in touch with me and I would try to spend free time with her. I didn't know why I was pulled to her back then. Still not so sure today. Maybe it's because she reminds me of one of my daughters back on Earth. Maybe I tried to do better by them through Lynn.

Lynn was 15 when her parents had to work extra shifts to make ends meet. This left her alone at their home on several long occasions. I would drop in to check on her when I could, but she always assured me she was fine. She always was too. Lynn was a good kid. Strong willed, but a good kid. Never got into trouble and tried her best to please her parents.

I had been sleeping when I got the call. It was Irryny. She was frantic, talking too fast for me. After telling her to breathe and calm down, she told me that Lynn was in the hospital. There were C-Sec officers trying to get her to tell them what happened, but apparently Lynn said she would only talk to me. So, I got dressed and hurried over to the hospital.

God, the sight of Lynn made me cringe. She was bruised around the eyes, there were scratches covering her arms and legs. The girl just… god, she looked broken. I never thought I'd see her look like this. Ever.

Despite Lynn _saying_ that I was the only officer she'd talk to, she didn't actually tell me anything for hours. When she finally told her parents and me, Yessin and Irryny were crying and trying to comfort Lynn. Tarvik… That turian bastard raped Lynn. I told her I would file a report and make that asshole pay when Lynn went berserk. She kept screaming that she wasn't going to testify or confirm anything about Tarvik. Said she was going to deny everything no matter what. No matter how hard we tried to beg her otherwise, Lynn refused."

"So what did you do?" Kolyat interrupted, eyes narrowed as his hand gripped the arm of the couch. "You arrested Tarvik anyway, didn't you?"

Bailey was quiet as his eyes fell to his beer, watching his fingers twitch around the neck. The silence angered Kolyat, for he knew what that meant. It meant that Tarvik was not brought to justice.

"How could you not arrest him?!" Kolyat snapped as he rose to his feet. "How could you let him get away with something like that?! What kind of—"

"Kolyat, there was _nothing_ I could do," Bailey growled, as though he had gone over this many times before. "Trust me, if I could have arrested Tarvik and make him pay, I would have. Without Lynn to testify and confirm that he was the culprit and that he did in fact rape her, we could do nothing. Even with DNA evidence, we still needed _Lynn_. We knew it wasn't consensual, but it didn't matter what _we_ knew deep down. It was what we had that could _prove_ it was rape. No matter how hard we tried, Lynn wouldn't budge."

Though he was still angry, Kolyat sat down and began letting the information sink in. He didn't like it and it still enraged him, but Bailey was right. Without Lynn to confirm or deny anything, they couldn't do much of anything.

"But… Tarvik did get what he deserved."

Kolyat looked up at Bailey and just blinked, giving his head a tilt to the side. He wanted to ask what Bailey meant, but couldn't muster up the words. The human's face had darkened and looked solemnly at the floor. The drell knew he was going to tell him what that had meant, but it seemed as though Bailey needed a moment.

It took finishing his beer and another ("Just one more, swear to god.") before he made eye contact with Kolyat again.

"After Lynn got out of the hospital, her parents put in all the money they could to get her help," Bailey said softly, rubbing the cool glass bottle underneath his fingers. "Lynn had gone to some therapists and other doctors that helped provide medication for her nightmares and depression. After several months, Lynn looked like she was getting back to her old self again. It was wonderful to see her smile again and laugh. Lynn was back and we were all so happy. Sure she still went to her appointments, but they were working!

Of course, she wasn't able to keep that happiness for long. Irryny called to tell me that something happened to Lynn, she just didn't know what. When I asked her what she meant, she explained that Lynn came home quiet and… empty. Like something sucked the life out of her. Lynn told her nothing was wrong every time Irryny asked, but she said she knew Lynn was hiding something. She had hoped that I could come over and talk to her. I assured her I would stop by after work and would try to talk to her.

Near the end of my shift, I got another call. I had to stay later than planned and I was a bit relieved to see that it was Lynn who was calling me. I hoped this meant that she was planning to open up to me and tell me what was wrong. In a way, she did. As soon as I answered, she was frantically talking. When I saw her face, I saw it was covered with blue ink. I assumed she was painting or something. Her therapists encouraged her to explore her artistic side in order to help unwind.

Lynn was begging me to come help her and I couldn't get her to stop crying long enough to explain. All she told me was that she did something horrible and needed me to come over right away. I told her I was leaving right away and heading towards her house. However, she told me she wasn't there. She gave me no explanation, just an address before begging me once more to hurry and hung up."

Bailey wiped at his brow, where Kolyat saw beads of sweat had formed. His captain shifted uncomfortably in his chair and the drell just _knew_ he wasn't going to like what he would hear.

"I left as soon as I could and made my way to the place Lynn was. It was near an apartment complex; those old dirty ones back before the attack on the Citadel. Disgusting place, full of drug dealers and pimps. It made me worry why Lynn was there and I was secretly praying she was just meeting up with a friend who was unfortunate enough to live there. I found the address, knocked on the door, and was instantly pulled into the apartment.

It was dark and reeked. I could hear Lynn panicking and when I managed to turn on a light, I was beyond mortified. Lynn wasn't covered in ink. She hadn't been painting. She was covered in blood. _Turian_ blood. The place reeked of so much blood and I desperately wanted to drag Lynn out of there.

The poor girl was trembling as she stared at me. She was just _drenched_ in turian blood. Her hands were soaked in blue and seemed to have gathered mostly there. God, I was so afraid to find out what happened. I wanted to just leave and not discover what happened there. Deep down, though, I knew what happened and needed to fix it.

I told Lynn to take me to him and she did. She brought me to the back to the bedroom and my suspicions were confirmed. Tarvik was dead on his bed, sheets saturated in his own blood. The sight of him just made my mind race. I was appalled to think that such a small girl could have done something like that. The turian's chest had multiple stab wounds with dried blood over them. It was imperative to her that Tarvik suffered. That much was clear just by how deep the wounds seemed to be. His throat had been slit and I assumed that she had grown tired and finally decided to finish the job.

Kolyat, Tarvik got what we all thought he deserved, but it wasn't _right._ Lynn broke the law. She _murdered_ Tarvik."


End file.
